NHL legend Wayne Gretzky once said, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Now according to reports, the hockey icon’s next big shot could come as the leader of his homecountry of Canada.
But there’s a catch.
In the aftermath of Justin Trudeau announcing his plan to resign as Canada’s prime minister, president-elect Donald Trump has quickly floated names for his successor, specifically in regards to Trump’s desire to make Canada the United States’ 51st state.
At the time, Trudeau said there was not a “snowball’s chance in hell” that would ever happen, but if it does, Trump says he recruited Gretzky to be its “governor.”
“I was with Wayne Gretzky. I said, ‘Wayne, would you like to be the governor of Canada?’ I can’t imagine anybody doing better than Wayne,” Trump said at Mar-a-Lago Thursday.
“Wayne was not too interested. But he probably would have liked statehood,” Trump said. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s a great guy. He’s the great one. We call him the great one, right? He’s a great hockey player.”
"I was with Wayne Gretzky. I said Wayne, 'Would you like to be the governor of Canada'? I can't imagine anybody doing better than Wayne. Wayne was not too interested. But he probably would have liked statehood. He's a friend of mine. He's a great guy. He's the great one"
– Trump pic.twitter.com/xsLas5s6V3
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) January 10, 2025
Gretzky has long been connected with Trump.
Gretzky attended a victory party for Trump’s 2024 election win after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.
Gretzky was even photographed wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat at the victory party.
MAGA-hat wearing Wayne Gretzky attends official Donald Trump victory party 👀🇺🇸https://t.co/WaMAucs9UF
— Daily Hive Vancouver (@DailyHiveVan) November 7, 2024
Gretzky’s son-in-law, Dustin Johnson, plays on the LIV Golf tour, which has played tournaments at Trump’s golf courses.