Maple Leafs’ Max Domi on goal: ‘That one was for’ Wayne Gretzky
After Wayne Gretzky gave him some advice Saturday night, Max Domi went to bat for No. 99 following a drought-busting goal on Sunday.
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After Wayne Gretzky gave him some advice Saturday night, Max Domi went to bat for No. 99 following a drought-busting goal on Sunday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward opened the scoring in a 6-5 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on his 30th birthday, and then revealed details of his call with Gretzky.
“Last night, I got a call from Wayne Gretzky with my pops (Tie Domi) wishing me happy birthday,” said Domi. “And I think that was probably the highlight. He said: ‘Make sure you shoot the puck. I’ll be watching tomorrow.’
“Wayne Gretzky is the greatest player of all time. He’s why I play hockey. So, to get a call from a guy that is literally the best ever on my birthday was pretty special. To put one, even though it was a complete tap-in, that one was for him. So, super grateful. And like I said, he makes me so proud to be Canadian.”
Gretzky has received criticism in recent weeks for his friendship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has spoken of making Canada the 51st state and has plans to put tariffs on the country.
Wayne Gretzky and his wife, Janet Jones Gretzky, attended Trump’s presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., in January, and Wayne has been a frequent golfing partner of Trump’s.
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The discourse gained more traction 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.
Last week, Trump called Wayne Gretzky “the greatest Canadian” and highlighted his loyalty to Canada in a Truth Social post.
Trump also stated that he doesn’t want Canadians to turn against Gretzky simply because of their friendship.
“Wayne and Janet, his wonderful wife, love Canada, and they should only support Canada, and whatever else makes the Canadian People, and Governor Justin Trudeau, happy,” Trump wrote on his official account. “He’s the Greatest Canadian of them all, and I am therefore making him a ‘free agent,’ because I don’t want anyone in Canada to say anything bad about him.
“He supports Canada the way it is, as he should, even though it’s not nearly as good as it could be as part of the Greatest and Most Powerful Country in the World, the Good Ole’ U.S.A.!”
Bobby Orr also defended Gretzky in an opinion column last week in the Toronto Sun.
