Former hockey pro P.K. Subban is getting some heat after he said the Toronto Maple Leafs need to pack “a Lizzo-size lunch” before Game 2 against the Florida Panthers.
The Toronto native, who played most of his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens, made the comment during the post-game analysis on U.S. cable channel ESPN. When John Buccigross said the Leafs need to “pack a lunch,” Subban responded with the Lizzo reference.
PK Subban with the cheap shot on Lizzo
— Tarps Off Sports (@TarpsOffSports) May 3, 2023
We didn’t have that on our #StanleyCupPlayoffs bingo card !
pic.twitter.com/wemPkJBP9L
On social media, some people perceived the comment as fat-shaming. One called it "gross."
“PK Subban randomly dissing Lizzo was NOT on my bingo card for tonight,” read one tweet. Another opined: “That’s… not acceptable. That’s fatphobic.”
Others, though, took it as a joke. “If you’re offended you need to get over your victim mentality and stop acting like a baby,” one person tweeted. Another wrote: “People care more about being mad at PK Subban because he said to pack a Lizzo sized lunch than they care about Lizzo’s health for being morbidity obese. If she doesn’t care about her poor health then you shouldn’t either.”
My dad on Subban's Lizzo comment last night.
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) May 3, 2023
"Subban took cheap shots all through his hockey career. Why did anyone think he'd stop after he retired?"
Subban has offered no apology on Twitter but shared a screenshot of the definition of the slang phrase “pack a lunch” (“A large, sustained amount of effort”) and wrote: “Pack a lunch… lock in! Be ready to compete! Bring work boots! Expect that they are going to try and outwork you in hard areas!”
Pack a lunch… lock in! Be ready to compete! Bring work boots! Expect that they are going to try and outwork you in hard areas! https://t.co/ontSKg0pfR pic.twitter.com/ArVioCqc2c
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) May 3, 2023
Lizzo, who has not publicly addressed the remark, said in January: “Do we realize that artists are not here to fit into your beauty standards? Artists are here to make art. And this body is art. And imma do whatever I want with this body.” The pop star said she wishes people had to pay a fee to comment on social media posts “so we could see how much time we are f**king wasting on the wrong thing.”
As it happens, Lizzo is performing Thursday night at Montreal's Bell Centre, the former home ice of Subban.