Wayne Gretzky was presented as the honorary captain of Team Canada on Thursday evening before the match against the United States in the final of the 4 nations.
Gretzky, undoubtedly the biggest hockey player of all time, received cheers while he was going out on the ice with the choice of the American team, Mike Eruzione. Obviously, the crowd of Boston was much more behind Eruzione than they were “the big one”.
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The USA AUSTON Matthews team striker, # 34, and the former hockey player Mike Eruzione and the former hockey player Wayne Gretzky and the Team Canada Sidney Crosby striker, # 87, during the championship match Ice hockey of the 4 nations at TD Garden in Boston in February. 20, 2025. (Images of Brian Fluharty-Imagn)
On social networks, the appearance of Gretzky as a honorary captain of Team Canada attracted a certain anger due to President Donald Trump’s reflections on neighbors in the North of the United States becoming the 51st Union state. The president even went so far as to suggest that Gretzky was the “governor” of Canada.
Hockey fans watching the match were far from amused.
Gretzky was spotted during the inauguration of Trump last month. Trump praised hockey legend on Christmas Day, suggesting that Canadians have written it to become the next Prime Minister.
Trump gives Team USA Pep Talk before 4 final nations vs Canada
The Canadian Professional Retirement Hockey Player Wayne Gretzky arrives for the inauguration ceremony before President Donald Trump was sworn in as 47th President of the American Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Saul Loeb-Pool via Imagn Images)
While Trump was teasing Canadian legislators, he said that he had asked Gretzky to become the “governor of Canada”.
“I was with Wayne Gretzky. I said,” Wayne, would you like to be the governor of Canada? “I cannot imagine that no one is doing better than Wayne,” said Trump at a Mar-A-Lago press conference earlier this month.
“Wayne was not too interested. But he would probably have liked the state,” added Trump. “He’s one of my friends. He’s a great guy. He’s the big one. We call him the big one, right? He’s a great hockey player.”
Gretzky did not seem to be influenced in one way or another.
The legend of the Wayne Gretzky hockey laughs as he carries his new ring in the temple of renowned hockey during his enthronement ceremony in Toronto on November 22, 1999. (AP photo / Frank Gunn, file)
Hockey Hall of Famer was spotted at Trump’s electoral party in November.
