Wayne Gretzky finally opens up about friendship with Donald Trump and the 51st state controversy
Wayne Gretzky has finally addressed the controversy he faced earlier this year over his friendship with former U.S. president Donald Trump.
Back in February, many Canadians criticized the hockey legend for not defending his country after Trump made comments about wanting to make Canada the 51st state, even joking that he would make Gretzky “the governor of Canada.”
“Canadians are proud. But here are the two factors: I don’t know how many people move to the U.S., whether it’s business or entertainment, hockey, and I don’t know the exact number, but I would tell you that over 90% of them become American citizens. I never became an American citizen. I’m Canadian,” Gretzky said in an exclusive interview with the 100% Hockey podcast with broadcasters Daren Millard and John Shannon.
However, the Brantford, Ontario native did in fact obtain U.S. citizenship after being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.
Gretzky went on to stress that he has no desire to get involved in politics.
“I can’t vote in the U.S. because I live in the U.S. and I’m Canadian. I can’t vote in Canada because I don’t live in Canada. I’m not into politics and so I can’t stop the Prime Minister from saying something. I can’t stop the President from saying something. I just kind of like, well, I’m just a hockey player, simple as that.”
At the height of the controversy, the Great One even received a phone call from then–Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“As I said to the Prime Minister, (Trump) wouldn’t tell me how to play hockey. I’m not gonna tell him what to do in politics, simple as that,” Gretzky said.
“It was a wonderful phone call that he reached out. He gave me a great line. He said, ‘I’m giving you a hug call.’ I said, ‘OK, I needed it right now.’
Though, Gretzky probably wants fans to ignore his joke that he told Trudeau when he said “we’ll make the United States the 12th province” – a little mistake in geography but you get what the Great One was trying to say.
Gretzky hadn’t made any public comments, but is a close friend of Trump and he and his wife Janet were invited to Washington, D.C., for Trump’s inauguration.
“People are going to say and believe what they want,” Gretzky said in the long interview. “The bottom line is, I know in my heart I’m Canadian, I’ve stayed Canadian and I’m a Canadian for life.
“I had a lot of support. You’ve got to take the good with the bad. It probably would hurt my dad (Walter) more, so I’m glad he didn’t have to see it.”
