Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Canadians to ease up on hockey icon Wayne Gretzky, who’s facing heat for his ties to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Gretzky, a beloved Canadian figure, has been criticized for attending Trump’s January inauguration, making multiple visits to Mar-a-Lago in recent months, and donning a “Make America Great Again” hat at Trump’s election victory bash last November.
During a Tuesday news conference detailing Ontario’s counterpunch to Trump’s steep tariffs on Canadian goods, Ford paused to vouch for Gretzky’s loyalty to Canada. “He’s a patriot through and through,” Ford said, recounting a recent emotional phone call where Gretzky was “all choked up.” Janet Gretzky has also leapt to her husband’s defense, lamenting that “cruel” jabs over his Trump support have left him heartbroken.
The uproar comes as Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports—plus a 10 per cent hit on energy—took effect Tuesday, igniting a trade war. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded with retaliatory tariffs, while a swell of national pride has Canadians booing the U.S. anthem at hockey games and beyond.
Gretzky’s Trump connection shadowed his stint as Team Canada’s honorary captain at February’s Four Nations Face-Off. Still, Ford insisted, “He’s never ditched his Canadian passport. So let’s go easy on him—he loves this country like crazy.”
Fellow hockey legend Bobby Orr, also a Trump backer, chimed in with support. “We’ve all got our own views on faith and politics,” Orr wrote in the Toronto Sun. “Wayne respects yours—why not respect his?”
Even Trump weighed in last week via social media, aiming to cool tensions. “Wayne and his amazing wife Janet adore Canada, and they should stick to rooting for Canada and whatever keeps the Canadian people and Governor Justin Trudeau smiling,” he posted. “He’s the ultimate Canadian, so I’m declaring him a ‘free agent’—no one in Canada should badmouth him. He loves Canada as it stands, though it’d be even better as part of the mightiest nation on Earth, the USA!”