U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has touted himself as the “greatest” president in American history, appears to have a fan in the “The Great One” himself.
On his way to victory over Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s highly-publicized U.S. election, Trump held a party at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Among the guests was his family, political supporters and a variety of high-profile allies including Elon Musk, UFC president Dana White and 2024 U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau.
Also attending the exclusive party at Trump’s private Florida-based resort and club was NHL legend Wayne Gretzky alongside his family, including his wife, Janet, his son, Trevor, his daughter, Paulina, and her husband and professional golf star Dustin Johnson.
The family posed for a picture, which Paulina shared on her Instagram story on Wednesday.
Executive VP of the Trump Organization, Larry Glick, later posted a slideshow on Instagram, with the lead photo featuring Gretzky rocking a white and gold “Make America Great Again” hat.
On Wednesday, Wayne’s wife, Janet, posted her own “congratulations” message to Trump on her personal Instagram page, praising the U.S. president-elect while expressing gratitude for his friendship and leadership.
“Congratulations Mr. President Donald J Trump, You did it, You deserved it, you earned every bit of it. The world is a better place to have you as our Leader, Proud to be an American. Thank you for being such a great friend. May God keep watching over you. Love our family to yours!” her caption read.
Though the jarring visuals may cause some to look twice — or three, four, five times — this development shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone as Gretzky, much like many wealthier, middle-aged white men, has a history of supporting conservative candidates on both sides of the border.
Among those in Canadian political circles that Gretzky threw his hat behind were former Prime Minister Stephen Harper (who was ousted by Justin Trudeau in 2015) and current mayor of Brampton, Ont., Patrick Brown, when he was battling Doug Ford and others to be leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party in 2014.
“The Great One” was also seen chumming up with Trump on a golf course in 2020 while he shot a round with his son-in-law Dustin Johnson.
Johnson, a former Masters champion who left the PGA for Saudi-run LIV Golf in June 2022, appears to have the closest relationship with Trump out of the whole Gretzky family, mainly due to his and Trump’s shared love for golf.
The Daily Mail reported in August 2023 that Johnson claims he’s known Trump for years and that the two share a pretty good friendship.
“I won Doral when it was there, at Trump,” Johnson said of his win at the WGC Cadillac Championship at the Trump-owned National Doral Golf Club in Miami.
“He’s in Palm Beach, so we play a good bit of golf together. We’ve had a nice friendship over the years.” Johnson said, adding that he’s known Trump “for quite a while.”
Johnson and his wife, Paulina, also attended the same Halloween party as Trump in 2021.
Despite the fairly publicized connection between Gretzky’s family and Trump, many were stunned upon finding out just how much of a supporter the former is, with some taking to social media to vent their disgust and frustration with the situation, hockey culture as a whole, and with Gretzky himself.
wayne gretzky being a trump supporter didnt shock me but im still disappointed
— kermit- regular season 😏 (@kermitthemoon) November 7, 2024
Athletes have supported candidates since time immemorial. But *this* candidate is diametrically opposed to communities/people in the margins. That arguably the nicest hockey player in men’s hockey is supporting Trump says a lot about the culture of hockey, and where it will stay. https://t.co/4n3aa07Lxm
— Shireen Ahmed (@_shireenahmed_) November 7, 2024
Woah. Wayne Gretzky attended Trump’s victory party.
Not sure this guy is the Canadian icon and encapsulation of Canadian values that many think he is.
The first red flag was his very partisan support for Stephen Harper’s Conservatives starting in the mid-2000s. No thanks,… https://t.co/ozJymLCr4F
— Andrew Perez (@andrewaperez) November 7, 2024
Hate to sound harsh, but Gretzky is such a sellout. Comes to Canada periodically to make ads for Tim Hortons & online betting, ‘fly the flag’, then heads back to his home in Arizona. Fought tooth and nail to keep hockey in Phoenix when Canadian cities didn’t have a team. Sellout. https://t.co/vmuNqtZnlZ
— Morgan Gay (@Morgan_Gay) November 7, 2024
Gretzky being a trump supporter isn’t surprising. Guy’s brain has been literal mush for decades.
— Ty (@Hewy_) November 7, 2024
One of these days, his records will become obsolete and the Hall of Fame will be filled with young stars who make his achievements look small. And all he will have to show for himself is a gambling controversy, a mediocre coaching stint, and this. https://t.co/5c6coMG2GA
— avery 🏳️⚧️ (@admbeaumont) November 6, 2024
And people wonder why I talk about hockey being an unwelcoming place for Black, Indigenous & other POC, minorities, LGBTQ+ folks & women…
Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr, two of the GOATs, both openly + proudly support Trump. https://t.co/j1lPw2YeXj
— Angry Blewish Talmudic Satan (@DeedsWylie) November 7, 2024
Amid the backlash during this divisive political climate there’s also, of course, plenty who backed Gretzky and his support of Trump.
Many of them also took to social media to chime in.
Oh boo hoo, Gretzky promotes sports betting and supports trump so you don’t like him 😂😂😂and there for should loose everything and be cancelled?! my gosh you’re a looser. https://t.co/wIOR3G6bAb
— Mitch 🇨🇦🏴🇷🇺 (@fearlessnewfie) September 4, 2023
As a Canadian and a hockey fan, this post couldn’t make me love the Gretzky’s more. Liberal white women are unfollowing Janet Gretzky by the masses in the comments. #Trump2024 🇨🇦🏒 pic.twitter.com/EKpUNZvK4W
— OhCehnehdeh 🇨🇦 (@OhCehnehdeh) November 6, 2024
REAL men endorse Trump. Example Trump fans: Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr
— The Spark, a film (@TheSparkMovie) November 1, 2024
Gretzky isn’t the first all-time hockey great to openly support Trump. As a couple of the posts above noted, Bobby Orr — widely regarded as the greatest defenseman in NHL history and arguably the second or third best play ever — endorsed Trump’s re-election bid in 2020.
The Boston Bruins legend took out a full-page ad in the New Hampshire Union Leader, calling Trump “the kind of teammate I want.”
Gretzky, meanwhile, is literally nicknamed the “Great One” because of his standing as the consensus greatest player in NHL history. He holds or shares over 50 NHL records including basically all of the game’s major individual marks — career regular season goals, career regular season assists, regular season points, career playoff goals, career playoff assists, career playoff points and others.
The Brantford, Ont., native spent most of the first three decades of his life in Canada, but was traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles in 1988 and has lived in the United States for a good chunk of the 36 years since that deal.
Gretzky maintains dual citizenship in both the U.S. and Canada.