P.K. Subban expressed his embarrassment for the game of hockey after racial gestures from an opposing player were made toward his brother, Jordan Subban, during an ECHL game last month.
But speaking with WFAN’s Keith McPherson on Wednesday night, the Devils defenseman expressed his optimism that speaking out against acts of racism in the sport will lead to a more inclusive game.
“Me being able to speak out on those things, not just the incident with my brother…is much bigger than just the incident itself, or myself, or the ability to get in front of a microphone,” Subban said. “It’s about the game and the growth of the game.
“I am so optimistic about not only that situation, but others that I’ve seen and commented on and how they’ve been turned into good, positives for our game…I’m very optimistic about our game moving forward. But these experiences, I’ve seen them, I’ve experienced them myself, I’ve had teammates experience them.”
Jacob Panetta was suspended indefinitely by the ECHL and released by his team after the gestures made towards Jordan, and while Subban said he wasn’t able to sleep the night of the incident, he now carries a sense of hope that the accountability will not deter Black players from getting into hockey.
“When incidents that happen like what happened with my brother, when those aren’t called to the forefront and discussed, we lose fans in our game,” Subban said. “We know these things happen. They happen in all walks of life, they happen in every workspace, every sport, not just hockey. They happen almost every day.
“What’s a real deterrent for a fan? To see these things happen and people to allow it to happen and make sure it’s OK. If I had a child who wanted to play sports and I was becoming a new fans of a sport and I saw something like that happen and I didn’t like how it was dealt with, I may be inclined to not have my children want to play that sport, or watch it or support it.”
Subban and Keith also discussed the inspirations behind Subban’s fashion sense, Keith’s newfound Devils fandom, and much more. The entire interview can be heard below:
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