Wayne Gretzky statue defaced with feces, adding insult to slew of Oilers injuries
Vandalism follows criticism of Great One's ties to Trump, injuries to star Oilers McDavid, Draisaitl
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The Great One – or at least his likeness – is once again the target of a smear job.
The bronze statue of Wayne Gretzky that stands outside of Edmonton’s Rogers Place was splattered with feces Friday morning, according to reports, adding insult to injury after the hometown Oilers not only lost Thursday to the conference-leading Winnipeg Jets in overtime but also saw star forward Connor McDavid leave the game with an injury.
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Top netminder Stuart Skinner was also pulled from the game by a concussion spotter, while fellow superstar forward Leon Draisaitl missed the clash with an injury of his own and will be out for at least a week.
All this after Prime Minister Mark Carney skated with his hometown team before Thursday’s game.
Multiple reports on social media, confirmed by CTV Edmonton, show the statue of a Stanley Cup-toting Gretzky covered with dung across the face and on the part of the jersey where a captain’s C would usually appear.
The CTV report also said that the photographer “noted the smell of fecal matter surrounding the statue,” which was unveiled in 1989 at the old Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton before being moved to the new downtown arena in 2016.
It was unclear, the report said, if the vandalism was meant to be a political statement.
Gretzky has found himself in the middle of the heated rhetoric between Canada and the U.S. due to his friendship with President Donald Trump, who has announced punishing tariffs on his country’s longtime ally, while repeatedly calling for Canada to become the 51st American state.
Criticism of the Great One, who attended Trump’s inauguration and election victory party, ramped up at the end of the 4 Nations Face-Off, when Gretzky served as honourary Team Canada captain but also gave the U.S. team a thumbs-up ahead of the championship clash.
Since then, a petition was launched calling for Wayne Gretzky Drive in Edmonton to be renamed, while labels for his wine brands have been defaced at some LCBO stores.
That led to Trump declaring Gretzky a political “free agent” because the Republican President didn’t want “anyone in Canada to say anything bad” about the NHL’s all-time scoring leader.
Prominent Canadians have also rushed to Gretzky’s defence, including Hall of Fame defenceman Bobby Orr, Premier Doug Ford, former Coach’s Corner star Don Cherry and Maple Leafs forward Max Domi.
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Tim Shipton, executive vice-president of external affairs with Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG) Sports and Entertainment, said it’s unfortunate that there’s been “issues of disorder” in the downtown core over the past several years.
“We have zero tolerance for vandalism of any kind within our district, especially one of our city’s most iconic landmarks that celebrates the career of Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player to ever play the game, and his special connection with Oilers fans around the world,” Shipton said in a statement.
“We are currently investigating and will take the appropriate next steps as information becomes available,” he added.
An Edmonton Police spokesperson said they hadn’t been made aware of any vandalism.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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