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Please welcome P.K. Subban!
-♪ ♪ -(cheering, applause)
Thank you, sir.
-Welcome to the show. -Oh, man, New York, back in New York.
This is so good, man. So good to have you.
Like, you know, like, sports stars always have, like,
such a crazy schedule, it's so hard to get you on the show.
Thank you for being here. You're a superstar.
And congratulations, selected for the All-Star Game
again this weekend in Tampa.
-Are you excited? -I'm extremely excited,
uh, to be captain two years in a row.
I'm just very happy to be able to represent
the city of Nashville again, and, uh, I'm just, uh,
I'm pumped, man, I'm pumped to be an All-Star again.
You have such a wild story.
I mean, I know I didn't know much about your story
before, you know, you were coming on the show.
I knew about you as a player,
but your story is one that really excites me.
You got into hockey in Canada, in Montreal,
-(woman whoops) -but, uh...
Someone likes hockey or Canada or both.
-(laughter) -Um... but what was really amazing to me
is that your dad gets you into the game,
and you come from a Jamaican family.
And for me, like, Jamaica and ice hockey...
-No, they don't... -they don't mix.
-No. No. -Like, why would your dad go, like, "hockey"?
You know what? It's a good question,
because, you know, my dad moved from Jamaica
when he was 12 years old, and, um, that's where he grew up.
So he's 12, moved to Sudbury, Ontario,
where he learned about the Sudbury Wolves.
And he grew up in a French neighborhood.
That's why me going to the Montreal Canadians
was such a big thing in my family,
'cause my dad grew up in a French neighborhood.
And that's where he learned about hockey for the first time.
And, uh, that was the first time he saw snow.
You know, 12 years old. So growing up in Sudbury,
you know, watching the Montreal Canadians,
everybody was French, so we saw the kids playing
in the neighborhood, and that's when he started to watch hockey
and used to watch the Sudbury Wolves play.
Right, and you went on to play for the Montreal Canadians,
which is not a very creative name, but, um...
-(laughter) -I mean, it's very literal.
And-and you didn't just go on to play for them, man,
they love you out there so much.
I mean, you played for the team, you loved the team--
was that probably your biggest life ambition?
Oh, man, just, you know, it was a dream as a kid,
you know, you wanted to play hockey.
And it wasn't really until later on in my life
where I knew it could be really a job.
I just wanted to be like the guys on TV, you know?
And whether it was playing in the backyard, and every...
I got to give my... I have the best parents in the world.
You know? My dad putting in backyard rinks,
you know, every year, and I give him credit for that,
because my mom used to give him, you know, crap all the time,
'cause the hydro bills would be so high from all the water
that he'd be using to make the backyard rinks.
But he stuck to the plan, and both of my parents together
did... made so many sacrifices just to give me the opportunity
to play hockey, and never once did they ever mention the NHL,
-you know, for any of us, all three of us. -Right.
Um, it just so happened that they gave us the opportunity
to play, and we got better, and then it became
an opportunity to make it a living,
and we just chased our dreams.
And now, you know, myself and Malcolm are playing in the NHL,
and we're working on getting Jordan there hopefully soon.
That's amazing, yourself, and your brothers,
all playing the same sport, all at a high level.
I think what touches me about your story
is not just that you're successful,
it's that in many ways you mimic
what your dad did for you, and it was selfless.
You donated $10 million
to a children's hospital.
Did you, like, add a zero by mistake?
I've done that.
'Cause I've done-- you can tell me.
(cheering and applause)
You know, I get, I get that question a lot,
because it's one thing to donate and give back,
it's another reason of to think--
another way to look at is why $10 million?
You know, and I think it comes down to
everybody has their own personal life experiences.
Um, you know, I went to Haiti with World Vision
a year after when I was--
I would have been 19 years old, 20 years old at the time.
And I'm not from Haiti; I'm not Haitian,
but I had an opportunity to go with World Vision at the time.
And I went for three days
and it was a life-changing experience for me,
but that wasn't it.
I came back and I got to know,
a little boy named Alex Shapiro
through my old, uh, minor hockey coach,
and still close friend and family friend, Martin Ross.
And he coached him and, um,
got to know Alex very, very closely,
and his parents and his family,
and, uh, was actually in touch with them
until, literally, his last moments before he passed away.
And, um, you know, for me, that made me want to,
to give back, um, in a different way,
and really have a significant impact.
And not just give back, you know,
where everyone could say, "Wow, that's great,"
but give back where I could actually make a difference.
And, uh, when I was presented the opportunity
to do something like this with the $10 million donation
to the hospital in Montreal,
I-I didn't even think twice about it.
Um, they came down the 401 to my house in Nobleton, Ontario,
and they presented it to me, and, um,
I signed the papers right there.
And it was the perfect situation for me.
And to this point, we've helped over, probably 10,000 families,
and raised millions of dollars,
so I'm very, very happy about that.
That's a phenomenal story, man.
(cheering and applause)
You...
You not only have love for Montreal,
but you-you went through a trying time
where you were unexpectedly traded from Montreal
through to Nashville, to the Nashville Predators.
And Montreal was your love.
Montreal still is your heart.
And you moved on to Nashville,
and you always promised the people of Montreal
that you would take the team to the Stanley Cup.
And then, after you were traded,
you then took the Nashville Predators,
and you're part of the team that went to the Stanley Cup.
Was that one of the most bittersweet moments
you experienced as a human being?
Ah, the bitter part about it is that we-we didn't win.
(laughter)
I mean, well...
(applause)
No, but...
You know, it was, it was a tremendous experience,
and I-I have to speak about my teammates,
because, you know, I wouldn't have an opportunity
to be in this position,
and to be an All-Star without them.
And they've worked-- I've never played
with a greater group of guys than we have right now
in that locker-room.
And, um, I've never wanted to win so badly in my career,
because I think that everybody in that locker-room deserves it,
but they've given me every opportunity to be successful,
but we've given each other that opportunity.
And I think that's why we ended up in the Cup final last year.
But what sucked about it was, yeah, we didn't win,
and I didn't get an opportunity.
That's all I could think about was when we got
to that conference and we won the Western Conference finals,
I'm like, "Man, I might have a chance
-to bring a cup back to that hospital, -Right, right, right.
and those kids, and, you know, 'cause I remember their faces,
and how upset they were when I was traded.
And I'm like, "Man, I got an opportunity
to bring that cup back; that's gonna be awesome."
And then we lost.
And, you know, it sucked,
but we have an opportunity to do it this year,
-so I'm... -Y-You, yeah. You have...
(cheering and applause)
You have many opportunities,
and it's not just in the field of sports.
I think what's really...
I think, inspiring about your story
is how you find opportunities to help others,
because it's not just the kids in Montreal.
Tell us a little bit about the program
that you started in Nashville where you get policemen
to hang out and spend time
with young, previously disadvantaged
or disadvantaged youths.
You know what, and it's-it's so important.
One of my best friends is a cop
and was actually just recently retired.
Chris O'Sullivan was a cop in Boston,
and, uh, you know, Chris has...
comes from a family of 12 brothers and sisters.
He used to play professional hockey
but has become one of my closest friends over the years.
And we know how much there's been talk about--
in sports, especially-- with police officers,
and-and players have chosen to deal with it differently.
I think that I was faced with a lot of questions
coming out of training camp.
And, you know, for me, I always look at everything on,
"How can I make this a positive situation?"
-Right. -And, um, I looked at it,
and I remember us having a meeting as a team
before the season started,
talking about, you know, how we were gonna handle it,
and I, you know, I-I remember being upfront.
I said, "Listen, guys, I want to attack this in a way
that is positive for the team and for the community."
And, um, listen, also, my best friend
had an influence on me, as well.
And, um, you know, I know what he's done
for so many people and his friends have done.
And, um, I know that in the community of Nashville,
I wasn't gonna have the opportunity, maybe,
to donate ten million dollars to 'em again.
-Right. -But maybe do something
that was just impactful in a different way.
And starting this program has been, uh, it's been amazing.
It's had the-the same impact
that, you know, my foundation has had in Montreal
in-in a little bit of a different way.
And the kids... I mean, I-I wish you could be there
to see the look on the kids' faces
when it's their first time going to a hockey game.
Their first time, pretty much, doing anything
that really they can think of in a positive way,
and to have-to have police officers there
to-to do it with them.
-It's just been great. -Right.
So-so, you have these kids
who meet up with a police officer.
They come to the game. You get them tickets.
You buy them dinner. They hang out together.
I-I would like to understand why you thought
that that would be something you'd want to do.
Everyone tackles it in a different way,
but why that? Why the kids with the police officers?
Well, first of all, I think that I have,
like I said, friends that work in law enforcement,
and I think that we need to celebrate
the good that they do, as well.
And I think that the children...
for these kids that are underprivileged,
that don't get an opportunity to go to a game,
you know, why not...
I know that I have the opportunity
-to purchase four tickets to a home game 41 times. -Right.
Um, who sits in those seats, that's up to me.
And I chose to have two underprivileged children
that don't have the opportunity
and two police officers that have the opportunity now
to mingle with underprivileged kids
who maybe have only ever seen cops
-in a bad light. -Right. Right. Right.
But now they're at a Preds game, which they've never been to.
They get to eat some great food, right, in the Patron lounge.
That's a shout-out to Patron. They don't sponsor me,
-but I know that's where they get the food. -(laughs)
Uh, they get-they get some great dinner,
and they get to meet the players after the game,
and they get to meet me.
I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing,
but they get to meet me.
And-and it's celebratory.
And I think the biggest thing that I've taken
from this program so far was an e-mail
that I got from one of the officers
who took it upon himself
to stay in touch with the-the child
-after the game and said, -Right.
"I'm gonna stay in touch with this kid.
"We're gonna go to many more games
'cause I got season tickets."
-And so on and so forth. -Right. Right. Right.
We have the e-mail, and it was one of the best things.
It was the best feeling that I've ever had
since the program started 'cause that's what it's all about.
So it's all about building bridges,
and I think that that's what this program has done.
You're an a... you're an amazing man.
-Thank you so much for being on the show. -Thanks.
Good luck in the All-Star Game.
Good luck for the next Stanley Cup.
NHL All-Star Weekend is in Tampa,
and the All-Star Game airs January 28 on NBC.
P.K. Subban, everybody.