Janet Jones Gretzky: Criticism of Wayne ‘has broken his heart’
Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet says her husband is heartbroken by the recent backlash he has received for the couple’s friendship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
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Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet Jones Gretzky says her husband is heartbroken by the recent backlash he has received for the couple’s friendship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
In an Instagram post on Thursday thanking Bobby Orr for an op-ed he wrote defending the NHL’s all-time leading scorer after the 4 Nations Face-Off, Jones Gretzky wrote that “it has broken (Wayne’s) heart to read and see the mean comments.”
Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones Gretzky attended Trump’s presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., last month and Wayne has been a frequent golfing partner of Trump’s.
The discourse gained more traction in the past week, when Gretzky represented Canada in a pre-game ceremony before the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off. He was met with a smattering of boos as well as criticism afterward for his association with Trump, who has spoken of making Canada the 51st state.
Last week in Edmonton, where Gretzky made his name as a living legend, some fans are petitioning for a freeway in his name to be changed. Capilano Drive was renamed Wayne Gretzky Drive in 1999 as a tribute to his years with the Oilers, where he won four Stanley Cups. As of Thursday afternoon, the petition on Change.org had more than 10,000 signatures.
In 2009, Gretzky was named a Companion of the Order of Canada but has been criticized for not travelling to Ottawa for it.
Gretzky has yet to address the issue.
“Listen, we all have our personal beliefs as they pertain to things such as religion and politics,” Orr wrote in his op-ed. “Wayne respects your right to such beliefs — why can’t you respect his?’”
“Your words mean the world to Wayne and his family,” Jones Gretzky wrote in response to Orr. “He has always said you are one of the Greatest if not the Greatest. Thank you for your kind words.”
–with files from the Canadian Press
