Janet Jones Gretzky: Criticism of Wayne 'has broken his heart'

[Ref]

Holy fuck! What a silly thread.

Hard to believe that people are willing to write someone off simply because of their political views.

Gretzky has been an excellent ambassador for the game of hockey and is respected among his peers world wide.

When he was traded to the Kings, he introduced the sport to millions of new fans and helped build a strong base of talent per the USA national program.

As popular as he became, he has avoided the negative spotlight and behaved as a model citizen.

For someone who has given as much back to the game as he has received, his political views are a nothing burger.

 

[shack]

Is it a hockey thing where hockey players support rapists like Trump

No it's a stupid person thing. Playing professional hockey at age 16 Gretzky obviously had a meagre education.

And as trump has told us, "We love the poorly educated."

It's a fact that people of lower intelligence are more easily manipulated. Dictators exploit that.

 

[shack]

Holy fuck! What a silly thread.

Hard to believe that people are willing to write someone off simply because of their political views.

Gretzky has been an excellent ambassador for the game of hockey and is respected among his peers world wide.

When he was traded to the Kings, he introduced the sport to millions of new fans and helped build a strong base of talent per the USA national program.

For someone who has given as much back to the game as he has received, his political views are a nothing burger.

As popular as he became, he has avoided the negative spotlight and behaved as a model citizen....

....until now.

IMO, his incredible hockey career is a different issue than his non-playing life. Please note, I don't support all the "traitor/take away his citizenship blah, blah" rhetoric. But I do believe that he handled this all very poorly especially in light of trump's comments about Canada. It's not a good look for him.

He should have known better.

 

[onomatopoeia]

Just because someone has a lot of education, does not necessarily mean that they are more intelligent. What they studied, and when, matters a lot. A University education today largely means being force-fed 'progressive' ideologies which are largely based on beliefs, rather than facts. I wonder how many graduates with a degree in Women's Studies are currently employed as sales clerks in remaindered book stores.

 

[shack]

Just because someone has a lot of education, does not necessarily mean that they are more intelligent. What they studied, and when, matters a lot. A University education today largely means being force-fed 'progressive' ideologies which are largely based on beliefs, rather than facts. I wonder how many graduates with a degree in Women's Studies are currently employed as sales clerks in remaindered book stores.

It's obviously a generalization so you can easily pick it apart.. But on the whole, it holds true. People with more education need to be able think more critically on their own to get through and understand their studies. It's a learned skill. (And that's another generalization.)

 

[richaceg]

Not a problem rich. They all can love him.

But it's how much they love him. It's a matter of degree. He is worshipped like a god, a king. People would commit suicide for him. They sacrifice their soul, honour and dignity for him.

It's not healthy. He is as flawed as you or I or the next shmuck walking down the street. You are entitled to think he's great and to love him. But to think he's perfect to the point of worship and any criticism is blasphemy as if he's Jesus II is unhealthy. It's a cult. He is your Jimmy Jones.

Nobody commit suicide for him...in fact someone was ready to die just to kill him....so the opposite what you actually is claiming...another sign of TDS...

 

[Samranchoi]

That might work well for you but we have to think of the greater whole. A nation needs to take of it's citizens.

I've talked to a number of people about this lately and have proposed the idea of imposing an additional 1% GST on top of what we pay already. The stipulation is that it would go directly into healthcare. Not one person has disagreed with this notion.

Getting back to the thread...I believe in retrospect Wayne should have walked out with a Canadian jersey on. He didn't read the room on this one.

Exactly. I probably would not be here today if I was in the US. And my issue is something that thousands of Canadians have or will experience in their lifetime. Do I wish that my issue did not exist. Sure. But it does and I am lucky our healthcare system was there for me and continues to be there for me, as well as for millions of others. Although some lucky individuals will not have to rely on the healthcare system to lengthen their lives, I am sure they know others who have benefited from it. I will never complain about the taxes that I pay as if it were not for our healthcare system, I probably would not be here today to pay my taxes.

 

[shack]

Nobody commit suicide for him...

Jonestown. A cult.

MAGA. A cult.

 

[LUSCIOUS LOYALTY]

How is the $8 a month working for you. I wouldn’t pay 8 cents. But of course old left wing broads are a real turnoff.

Most hookers are Liberal BECAUSE the libs have brains to give us our right over our own bodies. Only insecure men would like that control. Im just mad at God he didnt allow men to have babies too.

 

[LUSCIOUS LOYALTY]

Exactly. I probably would not be here today if I was in the US. And my issue is something that thousands of Canadians have or will experience in their lifetime. Do I wish that my issue did not exist. Sure. But it does and I am lucky our healthcare system was there for me and continues to be there for me, as well as for millions of others. Although some lucky individuals will not have to rely on the healthcare system to lengthen their lives, I am sure they know others who have benefited from it. I will never complain about the taxes that I pay as if it were not for our healthcare system, I probably would not be here today to pay my taxes.

With Doug Ford 4 more years hes a sell out to healthcare. Thats why the money Trudeau gave him for healthcare he hoarded for a highway thats saves you 3.6 minutes.

 

[Hipjdog]

If Wayne Gretzky wanted to remain completely apolitical, that's fine. But going to the inauguration and
having pictures taken wearing a Maga hat with Trump is a political statement. I doubt Gretzky is much
of a deep political thinker at all, but even he would know that taking such a picture will become newsworthy.

Gretzky owes his wonderful life and fortune to Canada. Granted, he put in the work to become a great player,
but this country gave him the opportunity to do that. So when someone who has the resources to take over our
country threatens repeatedly to do just that, Gretzky should absolutely condemn those comments and push back.

 

[shack]

Holy fuck! What a silly thread.

Hard to believe that people are willing to write someone off simply because of their political views.

Gretzky has been an excellent ambassador for the game of hockey and is respected among his peers world wide.

When he was traded to the Kings, he introduced the sport to millions of new fans and helped build a strong base of talent per the USA national program.

As popular as he became, he has avoided the negative spotlight and behaved as a model citizen.

For someone who has given as much back to the game as he has received, his political views are a nothing burger.

Bruce Arthur in today's Star:

Opinion | It’s time to speak up for Canada, Wayne, and denounce your friend Trump’s treatment of your country

Maybe Wayne Gretzky doesn’t need advice. He has been a secular saint since he was a young man, after all. He’s still one of the most famous people alive.
But Canadians are turning on our greatest hockey player in a way they never have, and it’s not clear he grasps why, or what to do about it, so here goes:
Wayne, it’s because of Donald Trump. Yes, you’ve been friends for years, even decades. Yes, you tell people you know that you are not someone who is interested in politics.

Well, about that. Donald Trump isn’t just politics. He’s the clearest danger to Canadian sovereignty in our history. You should understand that, actually. You were at Mar-a-Lago the night of the election, sitting at the table with Trump and Elon Musk. You’re such pals that Trump claims he encouraged you to run for prime minister of Canada, “soon to be known as the governor of Canada” when the United States erases the border and turns us into their 51st state. Or, more likely, into their Belarus.

It’s not a joke, is the thing. Canadians are furious, and some are scared. That’s why when you came out as the honorary captain for Canada in the 4 Nations final and gave a thumbs-up to the American bench — the broadcast cut to a different shot right after that, so any thumbs-ups to the Canadian bench were not captured — some people saw a traitor. Some see a traitor now.

And the people defending you aren’t helping. Bobby Orr, another of our greatest players, tried; he also took out a full-page newspaper ad in support of Trump during the 2020 election. Your wife Janet defended you, saying you are a patriotic Canadian and the anger is breaking your heart. But she missed the point as to why.
And Trump defended you. It sure seems like you two spoke.

“Wayne Gretzky is a fantastic guy! They call him, ‘The Great One,’ and he is. He could run for any political office in Canada, and win,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “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.

“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.”

Trump threatened Canada while defending you, Wayne. Again, it’s not a joke. Look, you’re far from the only person to fail to vocally defend Canada: Keir Starmer, the United Kingdom prime minister, was asked about Canada as a 51st state while at the White House and delivered an answer so spineless an invertebrate would be ashamed to be associated with it.

But if you’re patriotic, you’re one of the few truly patriotic Canadians with access to this dangerous lunatic. Trump and J.D. Vance, the U.S. vice president, ambushed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday and made it clear they were on Russia’s side in that indefensible war. It was a global disgrace. That’s who you’re sitting with.

And Wayne, people who know you say you’re genuinely upset about how Canadians are looking at you. So say something. Look at Canadian men’s soccer coach Jesse Marsch’s comments this week, for a start.

“As an American, I’d like to address the 51st state discourse, which I find unsettling and frankly insulting,” Marsch said. “Canada is a strong, independent nation that is deep-rooted in decency, really, and it’s a place that values high ethics and respect. Unlike the disrespectful and often hate-filled rhetoric in the U.S.

“Canada values fairness and unity. It’s a place that I’ve learned … people believe their differences make them stronger.”
Marsch also told Trump to knock it off. He has no sway with Trump, of course. Maybe nobody truly does, Putin perhaps excepted.

But Trump knows you, Wayne, and even if it made no difference, maybe Canada would be grateful to hear it. A lot of Canadians wouldn’t change their minds, because being friends with a monster like Trump isn’t forgivable. It probably shouldn’t be, actually.

So if you want to be seen as a patriotic Canadian, that’s the road: Denounce his treatment of Canada, and embrace your country. Alexander Ovechkin is about to break your NHL career goals record, and the fact that a player so close to Putin is going to take the torch from a player so close to Trump at this moment is a sad, cruel sort of historical poetry. Your father Walter spoke fluent Ukrainian, of course, but would always tell people the Gretzkys came from Belarus. Belarus is a Russian vassal state now.

And Canada is worried that could be our future. So if you want to stand up and be counted, now’s the time.

 

[mitchell76]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1895976341687926810

 

[shack]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1895976341687926810

Lame. Generic. No emotion. No enthusiasm. No motivation. Going through the motions.

A captain's speech, my ass.

 

[Varmitt]

I met him in Vegas, he was a jerk!!!

 

[roddermac]

If Wayne Gretzky wanted to remain completely apolitical, that's fine. But going to the inauguration and
having pictures taken wearing a Maga hat with Trump is a political statement. I doubt Gretzky is much
of a deep political thinker at all, but even he would know that taking such a picture will become newsworthy.

Gretzky owes his wonderful life and fortune to Canada. Granted, he put in the work to become a great player,
but this country gave him the opportunity to do that. So when someone who has the resources to take over our
country threatens repeatedly to do just that, Gretzky should absolutely condemn those comments and push back.

Gretzky made most if not all of his millions in the United States. He can support whoever he wants to politically. Just because you don't agree with it does not make him a bad person. A piece of shit like Howard Stern owe all of his $700 million dollar fortune to the right of free speech and now he speaks out against it.

 

[roddermac]

I met him in Vegas, he was a jerk!!!

Sure you did and sure he is.

 

[roddermac]

Most hookers are Liberal BECAUSE the libs have brains to give us our right over our own bodies. Only insecure men would like that control. Im just mad at God he didnt allow men to have babies too.

So then why is prostitution illegal under our liberal government.

 

[shack]

I met him in Vegas, he was a jerk!!!

How so? Inquiring minds would like to know.

 

[shack]

Gretzky. He can support whoever he wants to politically. Just because you don't agree with it does not make him a bad person.

Agree. He can

And we have the right to criticize him for his politics, and say that he is not being patriotic and say that we think he is a bad person for that? It seems like that's a problem for you because you are very defensive of him being criticized.

Why are you criticizing us for having our own opinions and stating them in public. It's a classic example of a double standard. It's also a classic example of the cancel culture.

I may be wrong but I'm assuming you are a trump supporter. If so, we know how you are unable to accept any criticism of his holiness and you are now transferring that to his supporters. It's a classic symptom of trump Devotee Syndrome. It fits the classic mold. If I am wrong about your political leanings, then you can disregard this last part with my apologies.