Canadiens fan buys full-page ad to protest P.K. Subban trade

On the day that the Montreal Canadiens begin the post-P.K. Subban era when they visit the Buffalo Sabres, one Habs fan has expressed disappointment in the franchise for the trade that sent the defenseman to the Nashville Predators for Shea Weber.

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In a full-page ad in Thursday’s Montreal Gazette – which is estimated at $20,000 – the fan, a season-ticket holder who signed the letter “Dr. CK,” thanked Subban for his contributions to the team and the community and wrote that the only Canadiens game he’ll be attending this season is the one on March 2 when the Predators come to Bell Centre.

Here’s the text of Dr. CK’s letter:

“Thank you, Pernell Karl Subban, for your time as a Montreal Canadien. I am a season ticket holder and lifelong fan. I grew up on the Prairies watching and falling in love with Canadiens hockey, and all the great players on the dynasty teams of the ‘70s. I truly thought that my love for the Habs was forever. I could not imagine an event that would change that.

But this trade has made me feel different. Now, I feel anger, disappointment and embarrassment over the treatment of P.K. Subban by team management: the same sentiments that many fans felt after the Patrick Roy trade.

As a player, P.K., you are amazing. You brought us out of our seats, and were consistently one of our best players. You played your best hockey in the biggest games, a true sign of a champion. You were all anyone could ask for. You understood what it meant to be a Montreal Canadien and treated the jersey, franchise, fans, sport of hockey, city of Montreal and country of Canada with respect.

But as great as you are on the ice, it pales in comparison to the young man you are.

P.K., you are an amazing hockey talent, and an even more amazing individual. As a parent, I know the importance of role models for children; I want my children to grow up to be healthy, functioning young men and women who work and contribute to society. You display these qualities as well as any young man I have seen in my lifetime. You are an amazing and influential role model for my children and I am going to miss not having you as a Montreal Canadien.

While my best wishes remain with the 2016-2017 Montreal Canadiens players and their families, my season tickets for this year remain unopened. My family and I will only be attending one home game this season, on March 2, 2017 – when Nashville visits Montreal.

This season, more than any I can recall, supporting the Montreal Canadiens organization means supporting the decisions that have been made by our general manager and coach. I do not, and will not support, Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien. And make no mistake, my fellow fans: attending games at the Bell Centre is a vote of confidence in their leadership. In the near future, I will be announcing an initiative in this regard, and will be asking my fellow Habs fans for their help and participation.

In the meantime, P.K.’s number is hanging with the greats, in the little Canadiens arena of my home – just like it should have hung, one day, in the rafters of the Bell Centre. Don’t look back, P.K.. Onward and upward. As a fan and a parent, thank you so much for everything you have done and continue to do.

Dr. CK and Family”

This past summer was one full of debate over the trade and Canadiens fans expressing similar disappointment in the franchise. It will be interesting to watch how filled the seats at Bell Centre are as the year progresses, especially if the team starts out slow.

Stick-tap Conor McKenna

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy