Canadians call Wayne Gretzky a ‘traitor’ after tense 4 Nations hockey final
Global News
Canadians can't help wonder where Gretzky stands after he's been seen cozying up to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Wayne Gretzky was introduced as the honorary Canadian team captain at Thursday night’s 4 Nations Face-Off hockey final — but let’s just say the selection didn’t go over that well with hockey fans, who are not only panning the decision to put Gretzky in the role but also criticizing how “the Great One” handled himself inside the Boston arena.
Gretzky, a former Edmonton Oiler and arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, stepped onto the ice for the pre-game ceremony at TD Garden next to the U.S. bench and as he walked past was seen giving a thumbs up to the American players. In contrast, viewers at home noticed he didn’t do much to acknowledge the Canadian team in front of the cameras.
Fans also noticed that, unlike his honorary U.S. captain counterpart Mike Eruizone, who scored the famous game-winning goal against the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics and wore a U.S. jersey to Thursday night’s festivities, Gretzky failed to wear a Canada jersey ahead of the matchup, sticking with a blue suit, vest and tie instead.
Perhaps what drew the most ire from Canadians is Gretzky being given the title despite his close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump in recent years.
Even though the players and coaches insisted that politics has no place in professional sports and remained diplomatic ahead of the NHL tournament, it’s no secret that the first 4 Nations final was cast in a political shadow as the Trump administration escalates an increasingly aggressive stance toward Canada, threatening tariffs and annexation.
People couldn’t help but wonder where Gretzky stands after he was seen cozying up to the president at both Trump’s election victory party last November and then again, with his wife Janet, at the presidential inauguration in January.
Trump has been making jabs at Canadian lawmakers about making the country the “51st state” and the 78-year-old revealed that he had asked Gretzky to become the “governor of Canada” following a Christmas Day visit late last year.
“I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One’ as he is known in ice-hockey circles,” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Dec. 25.
