Wayne Gretzky Urges Fans to 'Worry About the Game' as He Enjoys Olympics with Family in Milan
wayne gretzky is in Milan as a fan, attending the Olympic hockey tournament with his three sons and urging attention remain on the ice rather than off it. His comments arrive as Canada advances into a gold-medal final that follows a quarterfinal overtime victory and a semifinal win over Finland in the last minute on Friday.
Wayne Gretzky’s remarks on the CBC panel
Appearing on a CBC panel before the Canada–Finland semi-final, Wayne Gretzky was asked about rising tensions between Canada and the United States and the idea that he had been pulled into that dispute. Host James Duthie framed the moment as coming amid an “unsettling year for Canadians” with bilateral tensions at a level “we've never seen in our lifetimes, ” and pressed that “You have been pulled into this. ” Gretzky gripped the microphone with both hands, responded with a short laugh—"Ha ha ha"—and delivered a pared-down message: "Very simple. First of all, let's worry about the game. That's most important. "
He added a direct sporting stance: "I want Canada to win a gold medal. I've never wavered from that, " and closed by likening the two countries to family: "Canada and the USA are like brothers and sisters. They're going to fight and argue, but eventually you come together, right? And that's the way I see it. " Some commentators noted that his answers amounted to a deflection from broader criticism and said his tone reflected resentment at having his loyalty questioned after he had previously made choices that complicated his public standing.
Mark Messier and the Canada–Finland semi-final
Mark Messier and Gretzky were present together to watch the men's semi-final between Canada and Finland. The Canadians progressed following a late goal in the semifinal and had earlier pulled through in an overtime quarterfinal. Those consecutive close finishes set the stage for the expected Canada–United States finale.
Family presence and fan activity in the Milan arena
In Milan, Gretzky moved through the arena as a spectator rather than as a media representative; he is not traveling with a network or company and is simply at the games to support Team Canada. He stopped to sign a photograph on the arena wall showing himself from the 1998 Nagano Olympics and left a message nearby. He has been attending the tournament with "my 3 boys, " saying he was having a "great time. " A friend observed that "Wayne was so nervous he couldn't sit any more and had to walk around, " underscoring the tension felt by fans as the country awaited what many believe will be the most-watched game on Sunday morning.
Gretzky’s Olympic history: Nagano 1998 and Salt Lake City 2002
Gretzky's connection to Olympic hockey spans roles on and off the ice. He fell short as a player at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano but later managed the 2002 Canadian team that won gold in Salt Lake City. The image from Nagano, now displayed in the Milan arena, drew his autograph and a note from the stands.
More than a year after his relationship with Canada frayed
More than a year after reports that he had "blew up his relationship with Canada, " Gretzky returned to the public eye in Milan, where some critics quipped that he had been "swanning around Milan" and questioned how American someone "who wasn’t born there" could appear—one column even invoked Tom Brady in that line of commentary. Gretzky's choice to frame the exchange around hockey, and to stress family ties between the two nations, shifts attention back to the tournament while leaving unresolved tensions in the background.
What makes this notable is that his insistence on focusing on the game redirects the public conversation at a moment when his personal loyalties have been under scrutiny; the timing matters because Canada advances to a final after a quarterfinal overtime and a last-minute semifinal goal, and Gretzky is present in Milan as both a visible former star and a private father cheering his sons.
