FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – One of Canada’s greatest athletes attended Canada’s men’s national team’s friendly against Venezuela, offering support in their build-up to the 2026 World Cup.
Wayne Gretzky travelled to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale to speak to Canada before the match. The NHL legend and all-time leading scorer was greeted by Canada head coach Jesse Marsch upon arrival at Chase Stadium and spoke with him on the field before the game.
Gretzky is no stranger to managing Canadian teams at international events. Gretzky served as Canada’s men’s national hockey team executive director at the 2002 Winter Olympics, where Canada won it first men’s Olympic hockey gold medal in 50 years.
Gretzky shook hands with the entire team before addressing them.
“Thanks for the invite. (Marsch) invited me to the game the other day. Actually, he invited me to practice. I didn’t even like practice when I played. I said I’ll come to the game instead of practice,” Gretzky joked.
“These guys practice hard, man,” Marsch said.
“I’m excited to be here. I didn’t play a lot of soccer growing up. It wasn’t as popular in Canada as it is now. You guys have helped make it more and more popular. So, good for you guys. And I know you’re all excited about the upcoming World Cup. We’re all excited to see you guys play. I’m going to be in Washington on December 5 for the draw. I hope you guys enjoy yourselves. You should be very proud to represent our country. Congratulations to your families.”
Gretzky was presented with a Canada jersey with “Gretzky 99” on it.
The Great One is in the 🏠 to support the boys!
La Grande Légende est dans la place pour encourager les gars!#CANMNT pic.twitter.com/PtFaT0vhYr
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) November 19, 2025
“I will tell you, I received one soccer jersey in my life. It was a Tottenham game. And they spelled my name wrong,” Gretzky said.
Canada has welcomed other notable Canadian figures into the dressing room as of late. After their Copa América quarterfinal win over Venezuela in 2024, NHL star Sidney Crosby visited the team’s dressing room and spoke to players after the win. Following Canada’s October friendly loss to Australia in Montreal, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to the team postgame.
“You are going to transform this country,” Carney told Canada after the loss. “This is soccer. It’s unifying Canada. It’s showing the world what Canada is, what kind of people we are and what kind of competitors we are.”
Gretzky has recently drawn criticism in Canada his personal ties to U.S. President Donald Trump during the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament earlier this year.
Wayne Gretzky talks with Jesse Marsch walking into Chase Stadium in Florida (Joshua Kloke / The Athletic)
Gretzky recently addressed that criticism on an episode of the “100% Hockey” podcast released on Nov. 12.
“People are going to say and believe what they want,” Gretzky said on the podcast. “The bottom line is, I know in my heart I’m Canadian, I’ve stayed Canadian and I’m a Canadian for life.”
Canada’s men’s national team is currently ramping up campaigns to draw widescale public interest in their World Cup campaign. Canada Soccer recently launched their “Iconic XI” campaign to bring together Canadian cultural leaders to act as supporters and ambassadors of the men’s national team. Crosby, an NHL icon in his own right, and Shawn Mendes, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, were among the first players added to the campaign.
