Ex-NHL star PK Subban cautions against pushing 'everyone to be an activist' amid Pride jersey controversy

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In the midst of the recent controversy surrounding several NHL teams and players' decisions not to participate in their respective Pride Night events, former three-time All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban spoke out against the "push" to make everyone an "activist." 

Subban, who announced his retirement in 2022 after 13 seasons in the NHL, told Reuters on Friday that he does not believe that a player "need to be activist," adding that there are other ways to show support "without having to wear a hat, a T-shirt or a jersey."

ESPN analyst/sportscaster P.K. Subban covers the Hurricanes practice at Carter-Finley Stadium on Feb. 17, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Jaylynn Nash/NHLI via Getty Images)

"We cannot push everyone to be an activist, we need to be very careful," said Subban, who joined ESPN as a studio analyst in November. "I feel people pick and choose what they want to talk about and I don't like it when we put the onus on athletes to be activists."

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"They don't need to be activists," he continued. "I'm not saying it is right or wrong to wear the (Pride) jersey, we have just got to be very careful how we push players to do things."

"You can support the LGBTQ community without having to wear a hat, a T-shirt or a jersey."

P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils handles the puck against the Stars at the American Airlines Center on April 9, 2022, in Dallas, Texas. (Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)

Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the backlash last week after a growing number of players and teams opted out of participating