Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player of all time, and forever a hero for what he accomplished on the ice. But his popularity in Canada has seen a steep decline in recent months—and now, his personal exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame has been vandalized.
Gretzky’s nickname, The Great One, couldn’t be more fitting. He did things the hockey world had never seen before, and by the time he retired, he held more than 60 records. Many of them still stand today—even though one of the most prestigious, the all-time goals record, was recently broken by Alex Ovechkin.
Since his playing days, Gretzky has been a strong ambassador for the sport and one of hockey’s most universally respected figures. But in the past few months, something has shifted. His popularity in Canada has plummeted—largely due to his close ties to former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has mentioned Gretzky several times in speeches about Canada, a country he’s jokingly referred to as America’s potential “51st state.”
Terrible news about Wayne Gretzky
Gretzky hasn’t made any public statements in support of his home country—or in his own defense. And now, it seems some Canadians have taken their frustration out by defacing his exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
According to a post on Reddit, someone added a “Hall of Lame” poster, describing Gretzky as the sole member and mocking him as “the lamest that hockey has to offer.” The text was also translated into French, and among other things, it read:
“When he is not busy propping up a serial sexual abuser threatening to annex his home and native land, Gretzky is busy representing BetMGM, undoubtedly enriching the lives of hapless Ontario gambling addicts.”
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