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.
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“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.
“I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for prime minister of Canada, soon to be known as the governor of Canada — you would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign.’ He had no interest.”
Trump reiterated the comments two weeks later, telling reporters at Mar-a-Lago he had a plan for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s successor.
“I was with Wayne Gretzky. I said, ‘Wayne, would you like to be the governor of Canada?’ I can’t imagine anybody doing better than Wayne,” Trump said at the time.
“Wayne was not too interested. But he probably would have liked statehood,” Trump said. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s a great guy. He’s the Great One. We call him the Great One, right? He’s a great hockey player.”
And while some Canadians might be disappointed in Gretzky, they’re elated that Canada ultimately went on to win the 4 Nations Face-Off championship, as Connor McDavid scored in overtime for a 3-2 victory over the U.S.A.
It appears Gretzky, however, may have sent a little behind-the-scenes goodwill to the Canadian players. In photos from the team’s post-game locker room celebrations, players are pictured wearing red hats with the words “Be Great” on the front, which are reported to have been a gift from Gretzky.
Global News has reached out to Hockey Canada to confirm.
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