When Canada was controversial at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, its most beloved and iconic sports star grabbed the microphone and stood up for the people. The Canadian men's national team came from behind to tie the Czech Republic 3-3.
Wayne Gretzky, executive director of the Canadian team, has called for media coverage of anxiety in the Canadian locker room “American propaganda.”
“I don't think we hate those countries as much as we hate us,” he said. “They want to see us fail. They love to beat us. …We have to get the same feeling towards them.”
It was as fiery as hockey fans saw the best players in the game since they left the job a few years ago. Canada was pursuing its first Olympic gold medal in men's hockey in half a century.
“Am I hot? Yeah, I'm hot,” Gretzky said. “Because I'm tired of taking shots in Canadian hockey. …I'm a Canadian, a fan of our game and I'm very proud of everyone in the locker room, so I get pretty much sick to turn on the TV.
Gretzky's Canada's emotional defense was an inspirational turning point for a Canadian team packed with gold medal-winning stars in American soil.
After Gretzky gained fame as a teenage futures in the 1970s and rewrites almost every scoring record in the game, Canadians have seen great things as symbols of national pride.
Now, all the pride that Canadians have felt in the country's biggest sports exports is being questioned. North of the border, the sentence once was immeasurable. But Gretzky's loyalty to President Donald Trump and his silence after Trump repeatedly called for Canada, many Canadians feel deeply betrayed, blaming their neighbors with crippled tariffs while becoming the 51st nation.
Greetzky has headlines and newscasts across Canada. The petition renaming Gretzky Drive in Edmonton has over 12,000 signatures.
Several Gretzky's defenders have called the criticism unfair and politically motivated. But in Canada, emotions go beyond political spheres and arrive at a deep rising nationalism as the country feels it has been brought back to the horn.
For decades, Greetzky has embodied a sense of patriotism that transcends sports, even if it takes quite a bit.
Yes, Gretzky is a pride in Brantford, Ontario. A little boy who learned the game on a backyard link. He came from a working class family who arrived in Canada via Ukraine. His journey to excellence with diligence and blue-collar spirit felt representative of the nation.
For decades, his father, Walter Gretzky, was frequently seen on small town rinks, and he became affectionately known as a Canadian hockey dad. He lived in the same house in Brantford until his death. People visited. This place was common and familiar, and has become a portal of greatness anywhere in Canada.
And despite his fame, Gretzky himself always seemed to hold onto those small towns Canada ideals. He was friendly to his fans and humbled in the interviews, but he had no attitude in the will he took to pursue success and achieve it. Because of that Folksy's familiarity, Greetzky's connection to the home seemed never to waver, even at the pinnacle of his fame.
Anyway, that's how it felt.
When raised in Canada from the 1980s to the 1990s, Gretzky was at the pinnacle of national respect. He set an unruly record for Edmonton and fought for Canada's glory on the ice. And he cried after learning that it was exported to California.
In his greatness, the Canadian with flowing blonde hockey hair made people talk about Canada. I saw him in a Saturday morning cartoon with Michael Jordan and Beau Jackson. We watched him in Coke and Nike commercials and referenced him in Hollywood movies. He was internationally recognized for ways hockey players had not had before. Through a transformative era of globally connected media, Gretzky became the first Canadian to sit in the pantheon of sports legends around the world.
Therefore, it is difficult to exaggerate the pride that many Canadians carry for Gretzky. But it's not the only word here. There was also a sense of ownership. Greetzky was a member of Canada.
Of course, this was by no means true.
Gretzky has been living in the United States since he was traded for King of Los Angeles in 1988. He married an American and raised a close, loyal and loving family south of the Canadian border. He became a naturalized American citizen. Gretzkies had homes in California, Wyoming, Missouri and Florida.
In 2009, Gretzky was awarded the country's highest civilian honor, a fellow member of the Order of Canada. The award recognizes outstanding achievements, dedication to the community and service to the people. But up until now, Gretzky has not participated in the investment ceremony to win an award from the Canadian governor general at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
Somewhere along the way, Gretzky's idea as a Canadian constant ambassador became a myth.
The simple reality highlights much of the wounds and resentments Canadians feel about the ock and threats and economic attacks from the US president. There's a sense of knowing that this Northern country is circling its large neighbours. There is an uncited understanding that our greatest point of pride, or indeed, or our own sovereignty, can be engulfed by the giants.
Gretzky was from Canada. Until America inevitably insisted on him.
Over the past decade, I've had some detailed conversations with Greetzky. He was thoughtful and willingly reflecting on all the joys and pains of his life. He spoke with sincere gratitude and lovingly about Canada.
Greetzky did not respond to text requesting that this story be told.
In the past, we chatted about the passion he showed at the 2002 Olympics. He then later spoke about the death of his best friend and mentor Ace Bailey in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We talked about his late father, his family, and his legacy in his game – Gretzky has mainly been postponed to the greatness of other players. I followed him as I crossed the field at Fenway Park during the NHL outdoor classics. Wayne! Gretzky! Gretzky! ”
That aura follows Gretzky wherever he goes. For years, it seemed to be the case all the time. However, in Canada, Gretzky's image as a respected symbol of national pride is fading for many. And it's not because of his politics or where he chose to live. It's not something Gretzky did himself either. That's because he knows that myths are never realistic, and embracing him was by no means a fair standard.
The image of Gretzky first appeared in celebrating Trump's election victory at Mar Arago, and there were criticisms that were politicized when he later attended the president's inauguration. But that wasn't what the Canadians were really upset. It came later when Trump focused on Canada. And Gretzky, a national hero, remained silent.
Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet attended President Donald Trump's inauguration in January. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/Getty Images)
A few weeks ago, he was featured as ambassador for the Canadian team inside TD Garden, ahead of the 4 Nations Face Off Final (the best on and best match between Canada and the US). He was greeted with slippery applause and shattered boos. It was difficult to decipher whether lukewarm water was directed at Gretzky or his role as a representative of Canada. The crowds were highly supportive of the Americans, but about a third of the building supported their northern rivals. In a calm era, Gretzky's entrance would have been forgotten, facing scrutiny of degree.
However, these are not calm times north of the border. And when criticism escalated, Gretzky's silence, fair or not, was interpreted as a statement.
Another icon of Canadian-born hockey – defending Gretzky in a letter issued by the Toronto Sun, calling his Hall of Fame counterpart “one of the greatest Canadians ever.”
Greetzky has represented Canada as a player and executive for decades, writing that Orr criticised the “whimper” people who turned him on for his personal beliefs.
“Wayne respects your rights and beliefs,” writes Orr. “Why can't you respect him?”
Janet Gretzky shared her message on Instagram, thanking ORR for coming to her husband's defense.
“I've never met anyone who's more proud of being Canadian, and reading and seeing the average comments broke his heart. …He will do anything to make Canadians proud, with his love for hockey and his country.”
There was no fuss about the silence of many other Canadian-born celebrities who found fame and fortune in the United States. But there are no pictures of them in the Maga hats in support of the president who subsequently called for the country to annex.
President Trump also posted on social media saying he didn't want Canadians to turn on Gretzky.
“I make him a 'free agent' because he is the greatest Canadian of them. Because I don't want anyone in Canada to say anything bad about him,” Trump wrote.
“He's not as good as being part of the 'good country of America', some of the greatest and most powerful countries in the world, but he's supporting Canada as is it! ”
These provocations met with more silence from Gretzky and a stinging perception that further hurts Canadians. At this moment of radical national change, the great is on the opposite bench.
(Illustrated by Demetrius Robinson / Athletic. Photo: saul loeb-pool via imaging images)
