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Wayne Gretzky’s wife says criticism in Canada has ‘broken his heart’
“I have never met anyone who is more Proud to be a Canadian and it has broken his heart to read and see the mean comments.”
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With Wayne Gretzky maintaining a public silence so far about criticism from fellow Canadians upset over his support for President Donald Trump, his wife became the latest public figure to speak out on behalf of the NHL great.
“I have never met anyone who is more Proud to be a Canadian,” Janet Gretzky wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post shared Thursday, “and it has broken his heart to read and see the mean comments.”
Janet Gretzky wrote her remarks in reaction to supportive comments from another hockey legend, Bobby Orr, that were published Saturday by the Toronto Sun. Trump himself came to Gretzky’s defense in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, albeit while continuing to suggest that Canada would do well to become America’s “51st State.”
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Orr expressed dismay at the flak Gretzky took for not wearing a Canada jersey during his role last week as the honorary team captain before the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off. Some unhappy Canadian fans also pointed out that the 64-year-old Gretzky, clad in a blue suit while United States honorary captain Mike Eruzione wore his team’s blue jersey, came out from behind the Americans’ bench and gave that squad a thumbs-up. As a counterpoint, some noted that the carpet on which Gretzky walked ran past only the U.S. bench and that he appeared to also give the Canada bench a thumbs-up.
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The game was played amid heightened tensions in Canada after Trump’s promises to levy stiff tariffs on Canadian goods and repeated comments about annexing the neighboring country. At some NHL and NBA games earlier this month hosted by Canada-based teams against U.S.-based opponents, fans have booed the “Star-Spangled Banner,” a practice that continued in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
In strictly hockey terms, Team Canada could hardly have picked a more fitting honorary captain. Arguably the greatest ever in his sport, Gretzky holds the NHL record with 894 goals (although the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin is closing fast) and no one is close to his 2,857 points. He won four Stanley Cups and nine Hart trophies as the league’s MVP.
Nevertheless, when Hockey Canada shared a video last week of Gretzky addressing its team before the tournament final, it generated a huge number of withering responses on Instagram. Some of the most-liked comments called Gretzky, who had been photographed at an Election Day party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, “a Trump sellout” and “Trump’s buddy.” One commenter wrote, “Wayne you should be ashamed but I don’t think you are. We all see your true colours.”
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“Canada doesn’t want you,” wrote another.
In his editorial, Orr took issue with “how fickle can people be when someone who has given so much time and effort to Canadian hockey is treated in such a way.”
“Listen, we all have our personal beliefs as they pertain to things such as religion and politics,” wrote Orr, 76, an Ontario native who took out a full-page newspaper ad in late October endorsing Trump’s presidential bid. “Wayne respects your right to such beliefs – why can’t you respect his? … Wayne is a guy from Brantford, Ont., who made good and has done nothing throughout his life but give aid and assistance to innumerable Canadians along the way.
“Please, let’s take a time out,” Orr continued. “Extend a little grace, and a little respect for a good man and a great Canadian.”
Janet Gretzky, an American who has been married to Gretzky since 1988, shared an image of Orr’s essay on Thursday and wrote, “Your words mean the world to Wayne and his family.”
“He would do anything to make Canadians Proud,” she said of her husband, “with his Love for Hockey and his Country.”
Some have called for Gretzky to make it publicly clear that he opposes Trump’s apparent desire to absorb Canada into the United States. One Oilers fan recently began an online petition to change the name of Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky Drive to “something else.” The petition, which states the fan feels “betrayed” by Gretzky, had over 10,500 signatures as of Thursday evening.
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“It’s just confusing what side he’s on,” another Oilers fan in Edmonton recently said of Gretzky to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “He’s such an icon for Canada, you would think that people like that would rally behind the country right now. We need that.”
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