Wayne Gretzky draws social media ire amid tense Canada-U.S. hockey showdown

As Canadians revel in the national hockey team’s victory at the 4 Nations Face-Off Thursday night, one of the sport’s most famous stars is drawing fire on social media for his ties south of the border.

Last night’s final saw Canada defeat the United States 3-2 with a clutch overtime goal from Connor McDavid, a welcome comeback after falling to the American team earlier in the international tournament.

After months of taunts from U.S. President Donald Trump about making Canada the 51st state, the win became an immediate symbol of the country’s strength in the face of its larger, more aggressive neighbour to the south.

Through it all, Edmonton Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky stood as Team Canada’s honorary captain for the tournament. The move has drawn harsh criticism, as in the time since Trump’s presidential election win last November, Gretzky has been repeatedly spotted at his side.

In November, Gretzky reportedly attended Trump’s election victory party at the then-president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. Two months later, he was also seen with his wife, Janet, at the presidential inauguration in Washington.

The hockey hall-of-famer apparently also spent time with Trump during the holiday season. Trump wrote in a December post to Truth Social that he’d urged Gretzky to run for prime minister, or in his words “soon to be known as the Governor of Canada,” a title he’s also bestowed on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

To some fans on social media, Gretzky’s ceremonial position on Team Canada struck as out-of-touch, if not insulting.

An online petition that started Tuesday is looking to rename Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky Drive, citing his fame and admiration among young fans in the city as the reason “it stings even more to know that he supports Donald Trump despite knowing Trump’s intentions to annex his home country.”

“The point of this petition is to catch the City Council’s attention on how important this is to Edmontonians,” reads the petition, which has gained more than 2,500 signatures in its first three days.

Here’s a sample of what people are saying:

With files from CTV News' Christl Dabu and The Canadian Press