WARMINGTON: People stirring up Gretzky Order of Canada controversy are out of order
Great One proud of 1st Order of Canada medal, hasn't picked up 2nd because he doesn't want more accolades
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When it comes to the mob trying to cancel Wayne Gretzky, so many of the people participating have shown themselves to be out of order.
When it comes to the Order of Canada, the Great One not only was presented with his officer of the Order of Canada in 1998, but there was a photograph taken with him being awarded it by then governor general Romeo LeBlanc.
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“I received it,” Gretzky confirmed Thursday.
As for his promotion to companion of the Order of Canada in 2009, Gretzky had not gone to collect it.
“I got my medal and I told them I don’t need two,” said Gretzky, adding he asked them to give it to “somebody else that is more deserving than me.”
Said his close friend who sent me Gretzky’s quotes for my Toronto Sun column, the NHL’s all-time scoring leader “didn’t think he deserved it and thought someone else would be more worthy.”
He was happy with the original honour and didn’t feel a need for any more accolades.
That’s typical of the Great One. Humble, non-political and selfless. Unless it’s a team he’s a part of in winning Olympic gold or the Stanley Cup; he’s not a look-at-me individual awards guy. And he’s not the only hockey legend to be shy about receiving vestiges. Maclean’s magazine reported in 2018 that neither Phil Esposito or Bobby Clarke have picked up their Order of Canada commendations.
But Gretzky did get his original one and that should clarify the matter.
The Great One does all kinds of charity quietly with the Wayne Gretzky Foundation and doesn’t tell anybody about it. He donates his money to these causes and doesn’t rely on taxpayers. Calling him unpatriotic is one of the grossest miscarriages of truth ever spewed.
As U.S. President Donald Trump said, he’s one of the “greatest” Canadians. As No. 99’s wife Janet wrote on social media, “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.”
There are also many others who understand what is really going on is anti-Trumpers are channeling their anger toward Gretzky, who has done nothing to deserve any of this. Certainly, attending a presidential victory party at Mar-a-Lago is not enough to warrant the public effort to take the Gretzky name off of street signs in Edmonton and Brantford, which some people are trying to do.
It is all is based on mean-spirited spin and those pushing for this are way out of order.
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