Wayne Gretzky’s iconic Oilers statue smeared with feces over ties with Donald Trump

Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky has been facing a backlash for his public friendship with US President Donald Trump. Since his reelection, Trump has made himself very unpopular with Canadians by threatening harsh tariffs on Canadian imports to the US and repeatedly referring to the nation as “the 51st US state.”

On Friday, the resentment against Trump and Gretzky’s relationship was made evident. The hockey legend’s iconic statue outside Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton was found smeared with what appeared to be fecal matter.

A photographer from CTV News Edmonton took some snaps of the statue and noted the smell. The photos have since made the rounds on social media:

The act highlights the depth of Canadian citizens’ anger against the US President. Sports fans have also been booing whenever the US national is sung during events.

“The Great One” holds multiple NHL records and is widely considered to be the greatest hockey player of all time. He has won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, an achievement commemorated by the statue.

Gretzky and his family attended Trump’s inauguration ball in January. They have also posted messages supporting the 47th US President on social media and shared pics of their interactions with him. This has made Gretzky a target of anti-Trump critics.

Donald Trump said Wayne Gretzky would make a great Governor of Canada

The US President has pushed an agenda of levying heavy tariffs against Canada and repeatedly called for the country to join the USA as its 51st state. Speaking to the media at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Jan. 10, Trump said:

"I was with Wayne Gretzky. I said, 'Wayne, would you like to be the governor of Canada?’ I can't imagine anybody doing any better than Wayne. Wayne was not too interested. But I think he probably would have liked statehood. 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."

Wayne Gretzky was booed by Canadians during the opening of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 20 because of his public friendship with Trump. On Feb. 27, Trump called Gretzky “a fantastic guy.”