Trump referred to Gretzky as a ‘free agent’ in a social media post

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Wayne Gretzky has faced significant criticism from some Canadians for his association with U.S. President Donald Trump. He has shown himself to be a friend and supporter of Trump, attending his election night party as well as the inauguration.

That support has led to backlash in Canada from folks who are unhappy about Gretzky’s ties to Trump, in light of the latter’s comments about Canada, including his repeated suggestion that it become the 51st American state.

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This week, Trump took to social media to defend Gretzky. On Truth Social, he described Gretzky as “the greatest Canadian” and stated that he doesn’t want Canadians to turn against Gretzky due to their friendship.

He declared Gretzky a “free agent,” suggesting he wants Gretzky to be free from criticism in Canada.

“Wayne is my friend, and he wants to make me happy, and is therefore somewhat ‘low key’ about Canada remaining a separate Country…” Trump posted.

“Wayne and Janet, his wonderful wife, love Canada, and they should only support Canada, and whatever else makes the Canadian People, and Governor Justin Trudeau, happy,” Trump continued. “He’s the Greatest Canadian of them all, and I am therefore making him a ‘free agent,’ because I don’t want anyone in Canada to say anything bad about him.”

Why is Trump defending Gretzky? What spurred his support? Here is what we know.

Why are Canadian hockey fans upset with Gretzky?

Aside from the personal connection to Trump, Gretzky recently raised the ire of Canadian hockey fans. Controversy erupted around Gretzky’s role as Team Canada’s honorary captain at the recent Four Nations hockey tournament.

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Several of his actions at the Canada-U.S. game on Feb. 21 were seen as showing a lack of Canadian patriotism, as well as less than enthusiastic support for Team Canada.

For example, he entered the ice from the U.S. bench instead of the Canadian side. He gave a thumbs-up to American players while not visibly acknowledging the Canadian team. He wore a plain blue suit rather than a Canada jersey — or any Canadian symbols — in contrast with the U.S. honorary captain, Mike Eruzione, who wore his country’s colours.

Gretzky was booed as a result.

His connection to the U.S. has been driven to some extent by his hockey career. He was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, playing for them until 1996, and ending his career with the New York Rangers in 1999. Born in Brantford, Ont., he later became a dual Canadian-U.S. citizen.

How did Gretzky get looped into U.S. politics?

Gretzky’s close ties with Trump were magnified shortly after the latter won a second White House term. He and Janet attended Trump’s election victory party and his inauguration.

Missouri-born Janet congratulated Trump on his election victory. “The world is a better place to have you as our leader. Proud to be an American,” she reportedly wrote in a November Instagram post.

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He was even spotted at Trump’s election victory party wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.

Does Gretzky have political ambitions?

Political speculation about Gretzky goes back to Christmas Day 2024.

Trump took to social media after a visit from Gretzky and his wife Janet at Mar-a-Lago. Apparently, Trump encouraged Gretzky to run for prime minister of Canada during the holiday meet-up.

“I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for prime minister of Canada, soon to be known as the governor of Canada — you would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign.’ He had no interest,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Christmas Day.

Then, on Boxing Day, Janet posted a veiled response to Trump’s suggestion, referring to one of her husband’s most iconic sports quotes over a generic hockey image on Instagram: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

How has Gretzky responded to the political furore?

Gretzky has not publicly discussed his political affiliations, reports the Canadian Press, leading to questions about his level of support for Trump’s agenda, amid repeated tariff threats and “51st state” rhetoric.

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This, combined with the current political tensions between Canada and the U.S., have led some Canadians to label Gretzky a “traitor” and question his patriotism.

Has Gretzky responded to Canadians?

To date, Gretzky has not publicly responded to the backlash from Canadians regarding his perceived lack of patriotism and association with Trump. He has remained silent on the issue, despite growing criticism and calls for him to clarify his stance on Canada’s sovereignty.

Trump’s social media defence of Gretzky has not quelled the controversy.

This entire drama was prefaced by the fact that Gretzky did not travel to Ottawa when he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2009. To date he has not collected it — one of the criticisms frequently leveled against him.

Many Canadians continue to express disappointment for his failure to openly support Canada’s independence. The controversy has even sparked a petition in Edmonton to rename Wayne Gretzky Drive. The petition garnered nearly 7,300 signatures as of Feb. 24, 2025.

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