Wayne Gretzky, the undisputed king of hockey, stepped onto the TD Garden ice in Boston last night as Team Canada’s honorary captain for the 4 Nations Face-Off final against the U.S., but the cheers he’s used to morphed into a chorus of boos that echoed through the rink. Canada clinched a tight 3-2 win—Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in overtime sealed it—but Gretzky’s pre-game moment stole the headlines. Dressed in neutral black, he emerged from the U.S. tunnel, flashed thumbs-up to the American bench, and barely glanced at Canada’s players, sparking a firestorm among fans already bristling over his cozy ties with U.S. President Donald Trump. BBC Sport clocked the crowd’s jeers drowning out the PA; X lit up with “traitor” tags—Canada’s hockey god, holder of 894 NHL goals across 20 seasons, is suddenly a lightning rod in his own land.
The scene was surreal. Gretzky, who led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cups and notched 1,963 assists in a career that ended in 1999, stood beside U.S. captain Mike Eruzione—Boston’s 1980 Olympic hero—as boos rained down. Posts on X captured the sting: fans noted he wore no Team Canada gear, unlike Eruzione’s star-spangled flair, and didn’t approach the Canadian bench. “He’s ours—why’s he winking at them?” a Toronto dad, Mark, grumbled outside a pub showing the game. Gretzky’s Trump connection—spotted at the inauguration, praised by Trump as a potential “governor of Canada”—fueled the rage. A petition to rename Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky Drive hit 3,800 signatures by midnight, per organizers livid over his MAGA hat pics. Yet some defend him—ex-teammate Mark Messier told BBC, “Wayne’s a hockey man, not a politician—judge him on the ice.”
The game’s stakes faded next to this drama. Canada’s roster—Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon—outgunned a U.S. squad led by Auston Matthews, but Gretzky’s cameo cast a shadow. His stats still dazzle: 9 Hart Trophies, a plus-minus of +520 across 1,487 games, per the sports data. X debates split hard: “He’s earned his stripes—let him live,” vs “He’s ditched us for Trump.” Edmonton’s mayor dodged renaming talk, but fans like Sarah, a nurse, seethed, “Four Cups don’t mean you abandon us.” Gretzky stayed mum post-game, ducking mics as Canada celebrated. Hockey’s pantheon trembles—will “The Great One” weather this storm?
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