Ladies and gentlemen, I give you President Wayne Gretzky
Calvin Trillin is a longtime staff writer for the New Yorker.
As Wayne Gretzky prepares to take office on Monday as the first Canadian-born president of the United States since the 2026 annexation and statehood of Canada, Washington observers assume he will reverse his predecessor's executive order mandating that the term 'the Great One,' employed for years to refer to Gretzky as perhaps the greatest hockey player of all time, be used only to refer to Donald J. Trump.
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6 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Forget about the past': Fans weigh in on criticism of Wayne Gretzky over Trump ties
EDMONTON — It wasn't long ago that some Canadians were up in arms about hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. But as the Edmonton Oilers skate their way through the Stanley Cup final, hockey fans say it's time to let bygones be bygones. Advertisement "I don't think it matters," said Craig Hiscock, a longtime Oilers fan, as he posed Wednesday for a photo with a statue of Gretzky outside Rogers Place in Edmonton ahead of Game 1. "Let's forget about the past. What he did here was a lot for the city, a lot for hockey." The statue was vandalized in March and smeared with what appeared to be and strongly smelled like feces. On Wednesday, a hip-high metal fence was up around the bronze figure. An online petition started in February calling for a new name for Wayne Gretzky Drive also has about 14,000 signatures. Gretzky, the Ontario-born hockey star who led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories in the 1980s, recently drew the ire of Canadians for his public support of Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for Canada to join the U.S and become its 51st state. Advertisement The Great One was photographed with Trump several times at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. In January, Gretzky and his wife, Janet, attended Trump's inauguration in Washington. Frustrations grew after he appeared as honorary captain for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off final with the United States. Video footage showed him giving the U.S. team a thumbs-up as he walked to the ice. Gretzky also congratulated Dallas Stars players in their locker room last month, after they advanced to the Western Conference final. The Oilers eliminated the Stars in five games and now have one win against the Florida Panthers in the Cup final. Game 2 is Friday night. Advertisement Brian Foulken, who became a fan during the Gretzky era and collects Oilers merchandise, said Gretzky's accomplishments, including multiple scoring records that stand to this day, still resonate with people. As for the criticism, Foulken said people are going to have their own opinions. "At the end of the day, (Gretzky) played here for a long time. The diehard Oilers (fans), we love him,' he said outside the arena before Game 1. "He's an amazing player." Foulken added that current Oilers captain Connor McDavid is inching closer to Gretzky-level greatness. Darren Rogers, a Gretzky fan since the Oilers' inception into the NHL in 1979, said Gretzky's leadership led the team to win multiple Stanley Cups. Advertisement Politics aside, that accomplishment should matter more to people in the grand scheme of things, Rogers said. Gretzky was in Edmonton for Wednesday's game. And as storied as Gretzky is to the Oilers franchise, he appeared to still be catching up to this new generation's fan base. On an American sports network, he sat side by side with commentators, as they discussed the Oilers' new tradition of playing the pop song "Pink Pony Club." Players have been tight-lipped about the significance of the Chappell Roan hit, typically heard after the team plays "La Bamba" by Los Lobos following a win. Advertisement "Pink Pony — is that a band or is that a song?" the 64-year-old Gretzky asked TNT Sports co-host Paul Bissonnette following the Oilers' 4-3 overtime victory in Game 1. "(Roan) sings a song, 'Pink Pony Club,' and it's famous. It's on the radio," Bissonnette answered. "It's the new generation, Wayne," he added. Gretzky appeared disappointed to learn Roan isn't Canadian, but still seemed eager to check out the song. "I gotta get that (as) my ringtone," Gretzky said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Forget about the past': Fans weigh in on criticism of Wayne Gretzky over Trump ties
EDMONTON — It wasn't long ago that some Canadians were up in arms about hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. But as the Edmonton Oilers skate their way through the Stanley Cup final, hockey fans say it's time to let bygones be bygones. Advertisement "I don't think it matters," said Craig Hiscock, a longtime Oilers fan, as he posed Wednesday for a photo with a statue of Gretzky outside Rogers Place in Edmonton ahead of Game 1. "Let's forget about the past. What he did here was a lot for the city, a lot for hockey." The statue was vandalized in March and smeared with what appeared to be and strongly smelled like feces. On Wednesday, a hip-high metal fence was up around the bronze figure. An online petition started in February calling for a new name for Wayne Gretzky Drive also has about 14,000 signatures. Gretzky, the Ontario-born hockey star who led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories in the 1980s, recently drew the ire of Canadians for his public support of Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for Canada to join the U.S and become its 51st state. Advertisement The Great One was photographed with Trump several times at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. In January, Gretzky and his wife, Janet, attended Trump's inauguration in Washington. Frustrations grew after he appeared as honorary captain for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off final with the United States. Video footage showed him giving the U.S. team a thumbs-up as he walked to the ice. Gretzky also congratulated Dallas Stars players in their locker room last month, after they advanced to the Western Conference final. The Oilers eliminated the Stars in five games and now have one win against the Florida Panthers in the Cup final. Game 2 is Friday night. Advertisement Brian Foulken, who became a fan during the Gretzky era and collects Oilers merchandise, said Gretzky's accomplishments, including multiple scoring records that stand to this day, still resonate with people. As for the criticism, Foulken said people are going to have their own opinions. "At the end of the day, (Gretzky) played here for a long time. The diehard Oilers (fans), we love him,' he said outside the arena before Game 1. "He's an amazing player." Foulken added that current Oilers captain Connor McDavid is inching closer to Gretzky-level greatness. Darren Rogers, a Gretzky fan since the Oilers' inception into the NHL in 1979, said Gretzky's leadership led the team to win multiple Stanley Cups. Advertisement Politics aside, that accomplishment should matter more to people in the grand scheme of things, Rogers said. Gretzky was in Edmonton for Wednesday's game. And as storied as Gretzky is to the Oilers franchise, he appeared to still be catching up to this new generation's fan base. On an American sports network, he sat side by side with commentators, as they discussed the Oilers' new tradition of playing the pop song "Pink Pony Club." Players have been tight-lipped about the significance of the Chappell Roan hit, typically heard after the team plays "La Bamba" by Los Lobos following a win. Advertisement "Pink Pony — is that a band or is that a song?" the 64-year-old Gretzky asked TNT Sports co-host Paul Bissonnette following the Oilers' 4-3 overtime victory in Game 1. "(Roan) sings a song, 'Pink Pony Club,' and it's famous. It's on the radio," Bissonnette answered. "It's the new generation, Wayne," he added. Gretzky appeared disappointed to learn Roan isn't Canadian, but still seemed eager to check out the song. "I gotta get that (as) my ringtone," Gretzky said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
'Sick puppy' Tim Walz should never have been on Dems' 2024 ticket, Trump says
President Donald Trump called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz a "sick puppy" who should not have landed on the Democrats' 2024 presidential ticket. "He's a sick puppy, that guy, that poor guy. I feel sorry for him," Trump said Thursday from the Oval Office while meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "But, they made a bad choice with him." Trump's comments followed a reporter asking Trump about his relationship with Elon Musk after the former Department of Government Efficiency chief repeatedly assailed the "big beautiful bill," the sweeping legislation that will fund the Trump administration's agenda and touted by the president as key legislation that demands GOP unity for passage. Musk was a key ally of Trump's during the campaign cycle, holding rallies in the top seven battleground states to rally support, including in Pennsylvania. Walz Reveals The Missteps He Saw With Harris Campaign Amid Postmortem Media Blitz Trump remarked that the Democrat Party should have tapped Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to join former Vice President Kamala Harris as her running mate on the presidential ticket, but instead chose Walz. Read On The Fox News App "Elon endorsed me very strongly. He actually went up and campaigned for me. I think I would have won. Susie would say I would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway, even if the governor had the real governor, not the governor, for a Minnesota," Trump said before calling Walz a "sick puppy." Failed Vp Candidate Tim Walz Skewered After Hinting At Potential 2028 Presidential Run "But if you picked Shapiro or anybody else, I spoke to him recently about his, you know, his house being set on fire, which was terrible. But if they picked him, I would have won Pennsylvania," he added, referring to how Shapiro's home was targeted by arson while his family slept back in April. Walz joined Harris on the Democrat ticket in August 2024, just days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July 2024 amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity, giving way to Harris at the top of the ticket. The Harris campaign had just more than 100 days between Biden dropping out and rallying support for the Harris-Walz ticket before Election Day on Nov. 5. After the election, Walz revealed he would run for president in 2028 if the opportunity presented itself. "Well, I had a friend tell me, 'Never turn down a job you haven't been offered,'" Walz told the New Yorker in March when asked if he would run for president. Tim Walz Says Losing Presidential Election Is 'Pure Hell,' Admits Dems Are 'Fatigued' In Msnbc Interview "If I think I could offer something ... I would certainly consider that," he said. "I'm also, though, not arrogant enough to believe there's a lot of people that can do this." He said that under the correct circumstances and if he had the right "skill set" for the 2028 race, "I'll do it." "You might do it?" the New Yorker asked. "I'll do whatever it takes," Walz said. "I certainly wouldn't be arrogant enough to think that it needs to be me."Original article source: 'Sick puppy' Tim Walz should never have been on Dems' 2024 ticket, Trump says
