Almost three years ago, I wrote the following about The 'Great' One.:
Gretzky has been dead to me since his shameful, full-throated endorsement of Stephen Harper in 2015, despite the fact that the retired hockey player does not live in Canada and is not eligible to vote here. Indeed, it left many wondering about the number of concussions he had sustained during his career.
Now, there is new reason to scorn The Addled One: his shameful performance as the honorary captain of Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston the other night.
The Star's Damien Cox offers some observations on The Lost One:
The evidence suggests No. 99 and his family are strong MAGA supporters, and Gretzky certainly hasn’t come out to protest the U.S. president’s suggestion that Canada should become the “51st state” with the pride of Brantford as its “governor.”
Gretzky ... is being characterized as a traitor in some quarters.Cox thinks this is unfair in some ways:
... if you’re looking for hockey people to be progressive or loudly anti-Trump when it comes to their views on Canada as a sovereign nation, you might be looking in the wrong place. Gretzky’s apparent right-wing leanings are more consistent with mainstream thinking in the bro culture that dominates the male hockey world than you might want to acknowledge.
Most NHL players are white, aren’t university educated and are more likely to follow social media than read a book. Their business prizes group think rather than individuality. These days, most are also affluent. All of that makes them easy pickings for the tribal MAGA world.
Cox points out that Gretzky is not alone in his disappointing behaviour.
Sure, his silence on Trump’s anti-Canadian comments is disappointing. Just as disappointing as it was when Bobby Orr and Jack Nicklaus came out as pro-Trump. The fact that these revered sportsmen can simply look the other way as forces of hate spread stolen election lies and blame Ukraine for getting invaded is upsetting.
The shame of Gretzky’s pro-MAGA leanings is that he is apparently unaware of the fear and unease Trump is generating in Canada. He would probably be at a loss to explain why Canadian fans booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 4 Nations tournament.
Like the rest of us, athletes are not paragons of virtue. Nonetheless, when you occupy an exalted position due to past physical prowess, you do have a responsibility, whether your heart is in it or not, to comport yourself with dignity, self-respect, and national pride. By all of these metrics, Wayne Gretzky has failed horribly.
