Wayne Gretzky's wife Janet takes a trip down memory lane from husband's dressing room speech before USA vs Canada 4 Nations final

Legendary hockey player Wayne Gretzky reportedly congratulated the Canadian hockey team with a special locker room speech ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament final in February. On Friday, Gretzky’s wife Janet posted a clip from the locker room on Instagram showing “The Great One” shaking hands with Canada captain Sidney Crosby before beginning a speech.

“Memories Feb 21, 2025,” Janet wrote in the post’s caption.

Gretzky also read out the starting lineup for the final on the night. The original post had been shared by Hockey Canada’s official Instagram account.

The speech begins with Gretzky congratulating the Canadian players for making it to the final of the best-on-best tournament.

"First of all, congratulations. You made the hockey world proud, ex-players, and of course the country, so good for you guys. It's been fun to watch," Gretzky said. "I know you give up a lot of time to do these kinds of things, but nothing is more fun than playing for the country. So I wish you guys good luck tonight."

Janet also shared another pic on Instagram featuring a post announcing that Gretzky would be present for the Washington Capitals’ upcoming games to see their left winger Alex Ovechkin surpass Gretzky’s goal-scoring record.

The original post was shared on Instagram by sports platform Hockey Forever and read:

“Wayne Gretzky is expected to begin following Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals city-to-city so he can be in attendance when Ovechkin breaks his all time goals record. Gretzky said he will be 'the first to shake his hand' when Ovechkin breaks his record. 🤝”

Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek shares thoughts on Wayne Gretzky's flak over relationship with US President

Wayne Gretzky had been chosen as Team Canada’s honorary captain for the 4 Nations Face-Off but did not wear the team jersey and was seen giving a thumbs-up to the US team. He was also booed by parts of the crowd on the night for his reported close ties to US President Donald Trump.

Trump has strained US-Canada ties by announcing punitive tariffs against the northern country and suggesting, more than once, that Canada should become the 51st US state.

This week, former NHL player and Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek shared his opinion about Gretzky’s perceived attitude in an AAP interview.

“It is not surprising to me that Canadian people are asking about the attitude of a man who is a Canadian icon. To be honest, I am also interested in his attitude. He must know best why he does not express himself on this. Be sure to ask him.”

Wayne Gretzky has faced continued flak from Canadians due to his supposed friendship with Trump, with recent events seeing his Oilers statue smeared with feces.