'Good For Him,' NHL Legend Wayne Gretzky Lends His Support To Mark Carney Over Russian Ban Decision

In recent months, hockey icon Wayne Gretzky’s name has been linked to the political world due to his friendship with American president Donald Trump.

But Friday, on a day when he was honoring his legendary father, the late Walter Gretzky – whose name now adorns the Hockey Hall of Fame’s resource center in Etobicoke, Ont. – Gretzky discussed Canadian prime minister Mark Carney’s decision this week to ban Russian players from participating in the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship in December in Canada. And Gretzky gave Carney a verbal thumbs-up for his move.

“Good for him,” Gretzky said of Carney’s decision. “I think a lot of the players and the people of Canada feel the same way.” 

Gretzky isn’t normally one to frequently weigh in on politics, which is why his words on Friday – at the official renaming of the HHOF’s resource center, in partnership with the Upper Deck memorabilia company – carry so much weight. Some people in attendance clearly were uncomfortable with the political line of questioning, but Gretzky handled the two political questions asked with ease. 

“I can’t do anything about that – your friends are your friends, right?” Gretzky said of his relationship with Trump. “People can have their own opinions. That’s what life is all about. And you just take it with a grain of salt. People are entitled to what they believe in, and what their opinions are. Simple as that. My dad always told me, you treat people how they treat you. And that’s how I live life.”

In answering another question about his opinion on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Gretzky – who has Ukrainian heritage in his family tree – made it clear he was aware of Carney’s decision, and said he hopes the Russia/Ukraine conflict quickly comes to an end.

“Nobody likes war, right?” Gretzky said. “We definitely don’t want to see this. We hope (the war) ends. We wish it didn’t start. And I understand the stance the prime minister has taken.”

Politics aside, Gretzky was in Etobicoke Friday with some family members to pay homage to his father. Walter Gretzky was one of the biggest and best ambassadors for the sport, and although he passed away in 2021 at age 82, his impact on the game will last forever.

Gretzky spoke with pride about his father’s legacy, which was readily apparent in the revamped HHOF resource center.

“I get people come up to me all the time, telling me that I saw my dad at your restaurant, he was so nice, I saw your dad at the Leaf games, talked to him forever,” Gretzky said. “He just genuinely loved talking to people. Simple as that.”  

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