If there was any question before, it’s been put to rest.
P.K. Subban is a generous man.
For not the first time, Subban is giving a big piece of himself to charity. It was announced Wednesday that the Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman is giving $10 million over seven years to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, a portion of which is to be used to help underprivileged children and will create a fund to support families who are hurt financially by the illness of a child. That fund will be called “P.K.’s Helping Hand.”
The major donation, according to the hospital, is the largest philanthropic donation ever given by a Canadian athlete.
In response to the major gift, the hospital has named the atrium after Subban and he’ll continue to work with the hospital outside of the donation as a spokesperson for the hospital.
Check out the P.K. Subban Atrium, a 486-square-meter, three-story public space located at the heart of the hospital. pic.twitter.com/8jCYnqcVh4
— Hôpital de Montréal pour enfants (@HopitalChildren) September 16, 2015
Subban is frequently working with charities to benefit children, notably spending lots of time with children’s charities, including his Hyundai’s Hockey Helpers, which helps children across Canada afford hockey equipment. He’s also been seen popping into street hockey games and being friendly with kids all over the city. CTV has Subban explaining the donation, saying,”Last year Montreal made a long-term commitment toward me. Now it’s my turn to make an engagement to Montreal.”
That commitment he mentions came in the form of an eight-year $72 million contract.
At Wednesday’s event, Elise Beliveau, wife of Habs hero Jean Beliveau, was in attendance. During the ceremony, Subban said, in French, to Beliveau, “Mme Beliveau I want to make your husband proud.”
It’s a significant donation that effect the lives of thousands of children for years to come.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
