Wayne Gretzky statue vandalized in his hometown with a MAGA mention
It’s not a great time to be a Wayne Gretzky statue in Canada.
A quartet of the statues honouring Gretzky and his family were the target of vandals in the Great One’s hometown of Brantford, Ontario, earlier this week. Vandals placed a “Make America Great Again” hat on the head of Gretzky’s statue.
A temporary plaque was also found at the scene that criticized the NHL legend’s close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, bearing the title of “The Great One’s Ruin” written by an author who goes by the name Avarice.
“Alright, folks, can we stop treating Gretzky like a hero?” the plaque starts. “Back in the day, he was a real beaut on the ice — ripping clapper, lighting the lamp, and making goalies question their life choices. But now he can’t stop playing putt-putt with Epstein’s top-shelf bud.
“Gretzky’s turned into a puck bunny for Trump, and I don’t think he’s deking us out.”
The statues outside of the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre in his hometown of Brantford were defaced with MAGA hats https://t.co/x0IlNuq92S
— Toronto Life (@torontolife) December 10, 2025
The vandal appears to be referring to Trump’s speculated ties with deceased convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as Gretzky’s recent golf outing with the U.S. President last month.
Apart from the statue of Gretzky raising the Stanley Cup, the installation also includes statues of his father, Walter, and his mother, Phyllis, who stand on either side of a teenage Gretzky as they look up to an adult Gretzky hoisting the Stanley Cup. A red “MAGA” hat was also placed on the teenage Gretzky’s head.
The vandal spared both of his parents from any Trump-related paraphernalia and instead placed a Santa hat on Walter’s head, as well as placing a faux Order of Canada medal around his neck.
A City of Brantford spokesperson confirmed to Offside that the statues were vandalized and the items were promptly removed after being discovered.
“We can confirm that hats were placed on the Gretzky statues at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre earlier this week, including a Santa hat and a red baseball cap and that these items were promptly removed,” the spokesperson said.
“While the City respects the right of individuals to express their opinions, vandalizing or altering City property is not an appropriate way to do so. We encourage people to share their views respectfully through more constructive channels.
“The Gretzky statues are an important part of our community and symbolize pride in Brantfordās sports heritage. The Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre is one of the Cityās most well-used and valued facilities, serving thousands of residents and visitors each year and we ask everyone to help us respect our public spaces so they can continue to be enjoyed.”
This isn’t the first time that a statue of Gretzky has been vandalized in Canada this year. Back in March, somebody smeared human feces on his statue in Edmonton, which sits outside the Oilers’ arena. A Gretzky poster being displayed at a Toronto liquor store was also defaced that same month.
The NHL legend has been taking some heat from some Canadians for his close ties to Trump. Gretzky was present at both the president’s victory party and inauguration in the past year or so, and has been name-dropped by Trump on multiple occasions. That is despite the president suggesting multiple times that Canada become the 51st U.S. state.
Gretzky has downplayed his political influence on multiple occasions and has reiterated his loyalty to Canada in recent months.
The NHL’s all-time points leader also had an embarrassing moment at the FIFA World Cup draw last week, where he went viral for mispronouncing the names of multiple countries.