U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting his pal Wayne Gretzky isn’t too keen on Canada becoming America’s 51st state, but says the two will remain great friends despite not seeing eye to eye on the matter.
In a post on Truth Social, the social media platform owned by Trump, the president said he’s concerned about Canadians turning on “the Great One” over their friendship — a response to last week’s backlash over Gretzky’s perceived slights to Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey final.
“Wayne is my friend, and he wants to make me happy, and is therefore somewhat ‘low key’ about Canada remaining a separate Country, rather than becoming a cherished and beautiful 51st State, paying much Lower Taxes, a Free and Powerful Military, NO TARIFFS, and having a Booming Economy,” Trump posted.
Trump wrote he would back down on his suggestions that Gretzky become Canada’s “governor” — an idea he’s floated several times in recent months, both before and after Justin Trudeau announced his plan to resign as prime minister.
FILE – Donald Trump shakes hands with former NHL star Wayne Gretzky before leaving The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J.
Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“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. 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.”
Gretzky courted controversy last week when he was named Team Canada’s honorary captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off final between Canada and the U.S.
The former Edmonton Oiler, and arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, stepped onto the ice for the pregame ceremony at TD Garden next to the U.S. bench and as he walked past was seen giving a thumbs up to the American players. In contrast, viewers at home noticed he didn’t do much to acknowledge the Canadian team in front of the cameras.
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Fans also noticed that, unlike his honorary U.S. captain counterpart Mike Eruizone, who scored the famous game-winning goal against the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics and wore a U.S. jersey to Thursday night’s festivities, Gretzky failed to wear a Canada jersey ahead of the matchup, sticking with a blue suit, vest and tie instead.
(L-R) Auston Matthews No. 34 of Team United States, honorary captains Mike Eruzione of Team United States and Wayne Gretzky of Team Canada and Sidney Crosby No. 87 of Team Canada pose for a photo at centre ice during pregame ceremonies before the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game between Team Canada and Team United States at TD Garden on Feb. 20, 2025 in Boston.
Brian Babineau/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images
He has been criticized in Canada for supporting Trump, including attending his election night party and inauguration. Gretzky, 64, has not publicly discussed Trump’s annexation talk or Canada’s sovereignty.
Former NHL player Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones look up at the rotunda dome prior to the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque / Pool / AFP via Getty Images
Trump has been taking jabs at Canadian lawmakers about making the country the “51st state” and the 78-year-old revealed that he had asked Gretzky to become the “governor of Canada” following a Christmas Day visit late last year.
“I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One’ as he is known in ice-hockey circles,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Dec. 25.
“I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for prime minister of Canada, soon to be known as the governor of Canada — you would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign.’ He had no interest.”
Trump reiterated the comments two weeks later, telling reporters at Mar-a-Lago he had a plan for Trudeau’s successor.
“I was with Wayne Gretzky. I said, ‘Wayne, would you like to be the governor of Canada?’ I can’t imagine anybody doing better than Wayne,” Trump said at the time.
Meanwhile, Gretzky’s wife, Janet, has come to her husband’s defence.
On Thursday, she posted a thank you to legendary Boston Bruins defenceman Bobby Orr for his support of her husband, sharing a photo to Instagram of a weekend op-ed Orr wrote for The Toronto Sun.
“I cannot understand why the ‘haters’ have decided to go after Wayne because he ‘didn’t wear a Canadian jersey’ during his introduction at the final match. I, for one, thought that he looked very dignified while representing Canada with class and professionalism,” Orr wrote.
“Remember, this is a man who wore the Maple Leaf on multiple occasions with pride. As both a player and administrator, he has brought nothing but glory to his homeland year after year, decade after decade.”
“Thank you Mr. Bobby Orr. Your words mean the world to Wayne and his family, i have never met anyone who is more Proud to be a Canadian and it has broken his heart to read and see the mean comments,” Janet wrote in her caption.
“He would do anything to make Canadians Proud, with his Love for Hockey and his Country. He has always said you are one of the Greatest if not the Greatest,” she continued.
In Edmonton, where Gretzky became a legend, some fans are petitioning to change the name of Wayne Gretzky Drive. The street was renamed in 1999 to honour his four Stanley Cups with the Oilers.
As of Thursday, the petition had gathered more than 10,000 signatures.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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