Janet Gretzky appreciated the greatest defenceman of all time coming to her husband’s defence.
The wife of Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky posted a thank you to legendary Boston Bruins defenceman Bobby Orr for his support of her husband in a weekend op-ed in The Toronto Sun.
Gretzky has been taking it on the chin in some circles because of his close friendship with United States President Donald Trump.
Fans weren’t happy when Gretzky was introduced as the honorary captain of Team Canada before the 4 Nations Face-Off final last Thursday at the TD Garden in Boston. He was booed and people were upset because he walked by the American bench and didn’t have a Canadian jersey on.
“I cannot understand why the ‘haters’ have decided to go after Wayne because he ‘didn’t wear a Canadian jersey’ during his introduction at the final match. I, for one, thought that he looked very dignified while representing Canada with class and professionalism,” Orr wrote.
“Remember, this is a man who wore the Maple Leaf on multiple occasions with pride. As both a player and administrator, he has brought nothing but glory to his homeland year after year, decade after decade.”
Janet said that Wayne was pleased that Orr stood up for his friend.
“Thank you, Mr. Bobby Orr,” Janet wrote with a heart emoji in a post on Thursday morning. “Your words mean the world to Wayne and his family. I have never met anyone who is more proud to be a Canadian and it has broken his heart to read and see the mean comments.
“He would do anything to make Canadians proud with his love for hockey and his country. He has always said you are one of the greatest if not the greatest. Thank you for your kind words.”
Gretzky, 64, hasn’t made any public comments but is close friends with Trump. He was pictured at Mar-a-Lago in Florida at Trump’s election night party with Janet, their son, Trevor, daughter, Paulina, and her husband Dustin Johnson, a member of the LIV golf tour.
Janet and Wayne were also invited to Washington, D.C. for Trump’s inauguration.
Former NHLer Dan Quinn, a close friend of Gretzky’s and former Ottawa Senators forward, said he was thrilled that Team Canada was able to win the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“(There is) no Canadian or hockey ambassador greater than 99! We spoke after the game and as Canadians in (the) USA (we) couldn’t have been more proud and excited!” Quinn wrote on the social media site X.
Gretzky was invited into the Team Canada room to read the starting lineup by coach Jon Cooper.
