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The Canadian hockey legend known as “The Great One” is facing heightened criticism over his political affiliations as tensions between Canada and the U.S. continue to fester.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to make Canada the “51st state” of the U.S., prompting mass criticism from politicians and residents north of the border.
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Those critiques appeared to grow louder after Canada’s overtime win Thursday at the 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston. Gretzky was Team Canada’s honorary captain.
Terry Jones, a sports writer who covered the Edmonton Oilers for 55 years, said Trump’s stated ambitions to annex Canada have made calls for clarity around Gretzky’s views more urgent.
“I consider him a great Canadian,” said Jones, who has written several books about Gretzky. Jones is a also Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.
“But obviously the relationship with Trump has become a focus, and I can’t believe in my heart and soul that Wayne Gretzky believes Canada should be the 51st state.”
Gretzky’s connection to Trump has come into the public eye over the past year.
Gretzky and his wife attended Trump’s inauguration in January, and he has been photographed with Trump several times at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Gretzky was also photographed at Trump’s election victory party wearing a Make America Great Again hat.
Prior to his inauguration, Trump called Gretzky a great friend.
“I said, ‘Run for prime minister, you’ll win,'” Trump said. “But (Gretzky) said, ‘Am I going to run for prime minister or governor, you tell me.’ I said, ‘I don’t know, let’s make it governor.'”
Gretzky has not publicly discussed his political affiliations, leading to questions about his level of support for Trump’s agenda, as the president’s tariff threats and “51st state” rhetoric ramp up.
Gretzky’s perceived reluctance to state his beliefs has affected his reputation among some Canadians, Jones said.
He adds that he doesn’t object to the 64-year-old Gretzky attending Trump’s inauguration.
“If I’m right that (Gretzky) doesn’t think Canada should become the 51st state, he should step up and say it,” Jones said.
“I certainly haven’t turned on Wayne Gretzky or changed any degree of my absolute admiration for the guy.”
Frustrations that Gretzky has not sufficiently supported Canada were voiced by fans online after he appeared as honorary captain in a suit and tie at the hockey final. American honorary captain Mike Eruzione wore the U.S. jersey.
Video footage showed Gretzky giving the U.S. team a thumbs-up as he walked to the ice from their bench. He handed the Canadian players hats that said Be Great after the win.
M2NS, a talent agency representing Gretzky, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
In 2009, Gretzky was named a Companion of the Order of Canada but has been criticized for not travelling to Ottawa for it.
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General said in a statement that Gretzky was honoured with the award, and it “regularly communicates with recipients to determine their availability to participate in an investiture ceremony to receive their insignia.”
In Edmonton, where Gretzky made his name as a living legend, some fans are petitioning for a freeway in his name to be changed. Capilano Drive was renamed Wayne Gretzky Drive in 1999 as a tribute to his years with the Oilers, where he won four Stanley Cups.
Petition organizer Grant Prete said his opinion of Gretzky has deteriorated since a photo in November of Gretzky wearing a MAGA hat.
“If he’s going to flip now and make a statement saying otherwise, it’s going to be hard to believe,” he said. “That’s how I feel at this point … I don’t know what he could do.”
As of late Friday, the petition had reached 3,800 signatures.
A spokesperson for the City of Edmonton said the city hasn’t received any requests to rename Wayne Gretzky Drive.
“Anyone who wants to make a request for a renaming needs to fill in an application and get letters of support along with other required information,” Kris Berezanski said in an email.
— by Matthew Scace
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