A famed statue of Wayne Gretzky outside Rogers Center in Edmonton was vandalized in the most brutal way on Friday. The Great One’s statue has been smeared with feces, with brown smudges all over the face of the legendary player.
The hockey world and the political world collided together last month when Canada and USA faced off against each other for the 4 Nations Final.
A lot more drama came out of the tournament, especially with Gretzky, who represented Canada in a pre-game ceremony before the final, because of his friendship with Donald Trump, who has threatened to annex Canada and eliminate their existence as an independence country.
He was met with a smattering of boos as well as criticism afterward for his association with Trump. His wife Janet Jones Gretzky recently revealed that her husband is heartbroken by the recent backlash he has received, writing on Instagram that “it has broken (Wayne’s) heart to read and see the mean comments.”
The act of vandalism on his statue will probably hurt him as well.
No one knows who smeared the statue as eyewitnesses to the feces believed it to be excrement based on the smell around the statue once they got closer to it.
The intentions of the culprit also remains unclear, though many seem to believe political motivations are behind.
Gretzky nor the Oilers have not commented on the poop-smearing.
Here are the images of the vandalized statue in Edmonton:
Edmonton statue of Oilers great Wayne Gretzky vandalized
Lorne Thurston and Joseph McIntyre were planning to get an up-close look at the Wayne Gretzky statue in downtown Edmonton on Friday, when they realized it had been smeared with what appeared to be — and strongly smelled like — feces.
Wearing a white Oilers jersey, McIntyre was visiting from Nova Scotia and had hoped to get a photo with the Great One’s likeness.
“Disappointing,” he said. “It shouldn’t have been done.”
Thurston, who hails from British Columbia, also said he was disheartened by the desecration.
“I thought people had more class.”
The pair were part of a group of friends who stopped to watch as an employee walked out of Rogers Place and wiped Gretzky’s face with a towel doused in cleaning product.
The statue, which stands outside the current home of the National Hockey League team, was first unveiled on the grounds of Northlands Coliseum in August 1989. It was relocated in 2016 for the start of the Oilers’ inaugural season at the new arena.
Gretzky has recently drawn the ire of many in Canada for his public support of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has expressed his desire for Canada to join the U.S and become its 51st state.
The Ontario-born Gretzky’s ties to Edmonton are deep, as he led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories and set multiple scoring records that stand to this day. A trade in August 1988 sent him to Los Angeles.
Off the ice, Gretzky and his wife, Janet, were married at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton in July 1988 in a lavish service that garnered global attention.
His accomplishments, much like the statue honouring his likeness, still resonate with hockey fans, like Juanita Taylor.
“Why would someone want to do that?” said Taylor, standing with the group of friends at the statue.
“(The statue) might not mean much to some people, but it means something to other people.”
Tim Shipton, executive vice-president of external affairs with OEG Sports & Entertainment, said it’s unfortunate that there have 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.”
A spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service said it hadn’t been made aware of any vandalism.
