Steeles Royal

Gretzky's a traitorous piece of shit

shack

Nitpicker Extraordinaire
Oct 2, 2001
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From Bruce Arthur in today's Star:

Opinion | Donald Trump wants to annex Canada and Wayne Gretzky’s silence is glaring. Why this 4 Nations win over U.S. was so cathartic

We should say it: the Americans were awesome. The version of Team USA was so fast, so deep, defending like demons and coming in waves, in front of the best goalie in the world. But the Canadians were awesome, too. We still produce the most special of players, the unicorns: Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar. And our teams play with what has become a Canadian brand of obligation.

The result was a hell of a game to cap the 4 Nations Face-Off: 3-2 for Canada, with McDavid on the winner from Mitch Marner and Makar, on a play where Auston Matthews made the fatal mistake. It was, more than usual, a joy and a relief.

Because this was a form of hockey patriotism that was wider, deeper, scarier, new. Beating the United States in 2010 or 2014 was one thing: beating this America, right now, was something else. General manager Bill Guerin went on Fox News and leapt at the idea of President Donald Trump attending, though he didn’t. The Americans took a phone call from Trump in their dressing room before the game. J.T. Miller called Trump’s call a pinch-me moment, and Noah Hanifin said they wanted to win for America and Trump.

All this as Trump keeps insisting Canada should cease to exist. He said it again Thursday night, in fact. You might not like that Chantal Kreviazuk changed the lyrics to “O Canada” — from “in all of us command” to “that only us command” — but she was responding to the moment. By contrast, Canada choosing Wayne Gretzky as honourary captain seemed almost like a phantom limb response; Mario Lemieux had the regal bearing of a Jean Béliveau in Montreal, but Gretzky has most recently publicly palled around with the president who told him he should be the governor of his 51st state. That Gretzky has not spoken out in favour of Canada becomes more glaring every day.

But he’s our greatest hockey player, and Gretzky came out without a speck of red on him, while Mike Eruzione wore a Johnny Gaudreau Team USA jersey.
In hockey we’re the bully, we’re royalty, while the Americans still see themselves in the Miracle On Ice. The fact that Russia is so favoured by this U.S. administration qualifies, in that context, as a remarkable comeback.
This was a big game, after so much time away. It wasn’t like Canada would be annexed if we lost this game, obviously. But it was like it would somehow make our country feel weaker if we did.
 

maurice93

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Mar 29, 2006
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Wayne Gretzky could have easily come out and said something like "I think Donald Trump is the right man to oversee America, but I disagree with his view of Canada as 51st state". Then you can disagree / hate his politics, but he is entitled to them. But least he is still defending or honouring Canada.

He has chosen not to do that. He should not have been chosen to honour or represent Canada that game. He handled the captainship as a representative of hockey, rather than a representative for Canada.
 

shack

Nitpicker Extraordinaire
Oct 2, 2001
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Toronto
Wayne Gretzky could have easily come out and said something like "I think Donald Trump is the right man to oversee America, but I disagree with his view of Canada as 51st state". Then you can disagree / hate his politics, but he is entitled to them. But least he is still defending or honouring Canada.

He has chosen not to do that. He should not have been chosen to honour or represent Canada that game. He handled the captainship as a representative of hockey, rather than a representative for Canada.
Perfectly stated Mo. It would have and should have been a very simple thing for him to do. I think that Walter would be ashamed.
 

hrnyscrp1971

Member
Sep 24, 2022
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Wayne Gretzky's a traitorous piece of shit

There. I said it.

Since no one has made a thread of this, I will.

Gretzky attended Trump's election party and inauguration. Gretzky, a Canadian, has stood by Trump, a man who does not believe Canada has a right to exist.

Gretzky was named honorary Team Canada captain in the 4 Nations tournament, yet he entered the ice last night from Team USA's dressing room, then proceeds to give the thumbs-up to the US bench, and, unlike Mike Eruzione, the honorary captain of Team USA, he was not wearing his country's jersey.

Like I said, Gretzky's a piece of shit.

Canada made Gretzky the man he became, but Gretzky has obviously chosen the US over Canada. That's fine, but then he should not have accepted the privilege of being Team Canada's honorary captain. You can't have things both ways.

The man's a coward. I'd honestly have more respect for him if he wore MAGA hats everywhere and tweeted anti-Canada stuff, but he doesn't do that. He quietly supports the enemy while pretending -- in a half-assed way -- to be Canadian.

So, yeah, since Dave Semenko and Marty McSorely aren't here to beat the shit out of me for saying this, fuck The Great Once.
I say recite his canadian citizenship let him move down there
 

ramblin

Well-known member
Nov 16, 2019
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Orr doesn't views himself as Canadian and I suspect the same holds true with Gretzky.

From Orr's Opinion piece in the Toronto Sun - " However, as a former player and someone raised in Canada, ..."

Orr is now just someone "raised in Canada" not a Canadian.
 
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