P. K. Subban defended Wayne Gretzky’s MAGA associations in a recent interview
“You have zero credibility to comment on Wayne Gretzky and the decisions he makes”
Former NHL defenceman P. K. Subban recently did an interview with the Toronto Sun, promoting the new Rivals: The 4 Nations Face-Off documentary series, of which Subban is an executive producer.
Given the documentary’s focus on how political tensions crept into the storied 2025 hockey tournament, particularly its championship game between Canada and the US—which Canada won—the conversation eventually made its way to MAGA.
Related: The Gretzky statues in Brantford got a mysterious MAGA makeover
Journalist Mark Daniell asked Subban what he’d say to anyone who has criticized Wayne Gretzky’s friendship with US President Donald Trump. Subban’s answer was unflinching but perhaps surprising given that he’s a Toronto-born Canadian whose documentary is about how intensely sports connect to national identity.
“I’d like to know what they’ve contributed to the country and what they’ve contributed to the game of hockey. We’re in an opinion-based world. Everyone has an opinion and that’s great. But my job isn’t to listen to everyone’s opinion,” he said.
“Wayne’s paid his dues,” Subban continued. “He’s been in the trenches. He went to Nagano. He’s put together Hockey Canada. He’s played for Hockey Canada. He’s represented the country. He’s represented the league. He’s done it all. I’m sorry for people who feel [he betrayed Canada]. So I would say this, ‘You have zero credibility to comment on Wayne Gretzky and the decisions he makes.’”
Odd marketing strategy for a film called Rivals. But that’s just our perspective here in the “opinion-based world.”
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
