IN-PHOTOS: P.K. Subban recreates heartwarming photo with Wayne Gretzky in memory of late Walter Gretzky

By Cole Shelton

Modified May 14, 2024 15:13 GMT

Former NHL player P.K. Subban shared a heartwarming photo with Walter Gretzky, the father of Wayne Gretzky. Walter was a Canadian hockey icon, as he has been around minor hockey rinks around the Toronto area.

Many hockey players have a story involving meeting Walter and that includes Subban, who shared a touching photo of him and the late Walter on Instagram, with a photo of Wayne, as the two recreated it.

"Like father, like son. Goat of all goats’s. Walter & Wayne are the two best ambassadors our sport have ever seen! I wanted to be like Wayne… fell short…. But... I truly admire how much wayne has given to the game.

"Just remarkable! I miss Walter too Wayne! pretty awesome bday gift hanging with the GREATEST one ever. Missing Walter, Don Cherry, & the late Bob Cole❤️! Thats my dream team! Thank You Wayne for always putting the game 1st! Legend!," Subban wrote.

It's a touching photo by Subban to recreate the photo of him as a kid with Walter and his son Wayne, who is considered to be the greatest hockey player of all time.

P.K. Subban is at peace with retirement despite never winning a Cup

P.K. Subban was drafted 43rd overall in 2007 by the Montreal Canadiens.

Subban made his NHL debut during the 2009–10 NHL season. The defensemen spent seven years in Montreal before being traded to Nashville. He was with the Predators for three seasons before being traded to the New Jersey Devils. He played three years with the Devils and in 2022, he announced his retirement from the NHL.

Although Subban played 13 years in the NHL, he never won a Stanley Cup, but despite that, he says he is at peace with his career.

“Really what my value was and my worth was, I kind of knew I wasn’t going to get that because of the pandemic and because of the (salary) cap and how many teams were close to it — especially for contending teams,” Subban said to the Montreal Gazzette.

“So my expectation wasn’t to break the bank by any means, but I definitely felt like there weren’t four or five defencemen on every team that were better than me.

"I think that would be difficult — and that’s not to disrespect any of the players in the game. That was my own assessment. I’m allowed to do that and that’s fair. But I’m at peace with that. I know what type of player I am, I know the career that I’ve had and I know the impact that I can have.

"You have to be at peace with that and I was. It was a long career for me and a happy one, so I’m at peace with where I’m at now moving forward," he added.

Subban finished his career with 834 games, 115 goals and 352 assists for 467 points.