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Former NHL star PK Subban dismissed criticism directed at hockey legend Wayne Gretzky for his association with President Donald Trump earlier this month.
Gretzky was seen at Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, when the US president took office for his second term. In 2024, Trump provoked Canada with the possibility of naming “The Great One” governor of the “51st state.”
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Wayne Gretzky arrives at the inauguration ceremony before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool via Imagn Images)
Trump’s harassment of Canada sparked further tensions between the two countries before the president backtracked and called Gretzky a “free agent.”
The heightened tensions fueled intense competition between the US and Canadian hockey teams in the 2025 4 Nations showdown and many expect it to extend into the Winter Olympics should the two teams meet this month.
Subban defended Gretzky’s relationship with Trump against criticism in an interview with the Toronto Sun.
“I would like to know what they have contributed to the country and what they have contributed to hockey,” he told the outlet. “We’re in an opinion-based world; everyone has an opinion and that’s great. But it’s not my job to listen to everyone’s opinion…Wayne has paid his dues.
FBI Director Kash Patel, left, speaking with former NHL player Wayne Gretzky, right, during the first period of an NHL hockey game between the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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“He’s been in the trenches. He went to Nagano. He formed Hockey Canada. He’s played for Hockey Canada. He’s represented the country. He’s represented the league. He’s done it all. I feel sorry for the people who feel (he betrayed Canada). So I would say this: ‘You have no credibility to comment on Wayne Gretzky and the decisions he makes.'”
Subban suggested that the back-and-forth between Trump and Canadian leaders was the reason the 4-Nation Showdown became such a huge success.
“Just the fact that he talked about it… led a lot of people to ask, ‘Why is Trump talking about this hockey game?'” he told the Toronto Sun. “That’s how sensitive the moment was, and that’s how influential the president and the prime minister are… I didn’t imagine how big the game could become or have world leaders involved in a tournament like that… But it changed the trajectory of the game… It would be great to see (the documentary) with Don Cherry and do his part.”
PK Subban #76 of the New Jersey Devils handles the puck against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center on April 9, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. (Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Subban is executive producer of the new documentary series “Rivals: The 4 Nations Face-Off.”
