Karl Subban
Karl Subban is a Jamaican-Canadian educator and writer,[1] best known as the father of National Hockey League players P. K. Subban, Malcolm Subban and Jordan Subban.[2]
Born in Jamaica, he came to Canada with his family as a pre-teen in the early 1970s, and settled in Sudbury, Ontario.[3] Living in the predominantly francophone Flour Mill neighbourhood,[4] he integrated into the community by playing neighbourhood street hockey,[1] although he never played in an organized league.[3] He later also played basketball for Sudbury Secondary School and Lakehead University.[3] At Lakehead, he remains the fifth all-time leading scorer for the school's basketball team.[5]
Following his graduation from Lakehead he became an elementary school teacher with the Toronto District School Board, until retiring from teaching in 2013.[1] By this time his three sons were all playing in the NHL, with Karl becoming well known in his own right as a prominent "hockey dad".[1]
In 2017 he published the non-fiction book How We Did It: The Subban Plan for Success in Hockey, School and Life.[3] His children's book The Hockey Skates, illustrated by Maggie Zeng and recounting a true story from P.K.'s childhood, was published in 2023,[6] and was selected for the 2025 edition of CBC Kids Reads.[7]
In the 2020s he was also a prominent campaigner for banning sports betting advertising.[8] In 2026, he gave a talk on race and hockey in conjunction with a National Canadian Film Day screening of the Black Canadian hockey drama film Youngblood at the Acton Film Festival.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Lisa Evans, "Karl Subban is Canada’s ultimate hockey dad with three sons in NHL". Canadian Immigrant, January 5, 2015.
- ↑ "The secret to the Subbans' success". CBC News, July 3, 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 Matt Durnan, "Subban family has special connection to Sudbury". Sudbury.com, November 22, 2017.
- ↑ "Karl Subban in Sudbury to launch new book". CBC Northern Ontario, November 29, 2017.
- ↑ "Bruins select goaltender Malcolm Subban with 24th pick in NHL draft". The Republican. June 23, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ↑ "The Hockey Skates by Karl Subban, illustrated by Maggie Zeng". CBC Books, September 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Jay Baruchel, Anna Lambe, Andrew Phung and more take part in CBC Kids' annual literature celebration". CBC Books, September 17, 2025.
- ↑ Alex Cyr, "“They take away from the entire game”: Karl Subban on his campaign to ban sports betting ads". Toronto Life, May 19, 2023.
- ↑ Christian Collington, "‘Hockey dad’ Karl Subban guest speaker at Acton film fest finale". Penticton Herald, April 15, 2026.
- 1950s births
- Living people
- 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers
- 21st-century Canadian male writers
- Canadian male non-fiction writers
- Canadian children's writers
- Canadian educators
- Black Canadian basketball players
- Black Canadian non-fiction writers
- Black Canadian activists
- Jamaican emigrants to Canada
- Lakehead Thunderwolves basketball players
- Writers from Greater Sudbury
- Writers from Toronto
- Sportspeople from Greater Sudbury