Wayne Gretzky shares a message for Team Canada ahead of 4 Nations Face-Off tourney

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky shared a message of encouragement for Team Canada ahead of the team's upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament on Wednesday.

Gretzky took to Instagram to post an old photo of a previous Team Canada squad and wished the current roster good luck for the exhibition games.

"Going to be great hockey. Good luck to @hockeycanada"

Wayne Gretzky's Instagram story- (Credit:@waynegretzky/IG)

Team Canada takes on Sweden on Wednesday, followed by a matchup with the United States on Feb. 15. Both games will be held at the Bell Centre in Montreal before the tournament shifts to Boston on Feb 17, where Team Canada takes on Finland.

Gretzky finished his international career with 99 points, winning the World Juniors, World Championship, Canada Cups, World Cup and Winter Olympics.

Canada has had the most NHL players. Recent years have seen 40-45% of NHL players hail from Canada, compared to 26-29% from the United States.

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Wayne Gretzky confident in Team Canada's chances

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky believes Team Canada is well-positioned to succeed against the competition, particularly versus Team USA in 4 Nations faceoff.

"It's going to be tremendous hockey. I'm not sure who is going to win, but I'm just saying as a Canadian,I think our team matches up very good against the Americans," Gretzky said.

Now retired from the NHL, Gretzky is happy to be simply a fan of the sport he loves.

"I love the game,"Gretzky said. "I'm proud that I was part of it. I am enjoying what I do. I live down here. I'm almost 64. The stress and the pressure of it is tougher than people think, but it's all worth it. It's a wonderful sport and the people that are in it make it that much more fun.

"But I had my time and now I'm a fan, and I love watching. I just cheer for everyone. I love watching hockey every night."

Canada has won nine of the last 13 best-on-best hockey tournaments, including four of the last five and the last three.

This dominance started with the original Canada Cup in the 1970s and 80s, where the host country won four of five events. Canada also won two of the three World Cup of Hockey tournaments and three of the last five Olympic gold medals.