Wayne Gretzky, a story of the National Hockey League ( NHL), was recently smeared with feces on his statue outside the Edmonton Oilers ‘ Rogers Place area in Edmonton, Canada.
On March 21, stool were discovered smeared across the face and shirt of the American sports hero’s memorial, according to The Toronto Sun. A CTV News shooter photographed the monument’s destruction and noticed a strong smell of fecal matter close to it, according to CTV News.
It’s unfortunate that Oilers Entertainment Group’s executive vice president of external politics has had to deal with issues of problem in our city base over the past few years, according to Tim Shipton, who wrote a speech to CTV News following the obliteration of Gretzky’s monument.
” We have zero tolerance for theft of any kind within our neighborhood,” Shipton continued, “especially one of our town’s most memorable sights that honors the occupation of Wayne Gretzky, the greatest soccer player ever to play the game, and his special relationship with Oilers fans around the world.”
The statue, which measures 950 pounds and is over 9 feet tall, was first unveiled at the former Northlands Coliseum in Canada in August 1989 before moving to Rogers Place in 2016.
MORE: In response to Trump’s threats, Canada is frantically funding the military.
The Oilers Entertainment Group spokesperson stated that the recent incident with the Gretzky statue was being looked into and that the “appropriate next steps” would be taken as soon as more details became available.
The vandalism incident comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Canada as a result of President Donald Trump’s implementation of tariffs against the U.S. ally and his remarks about Canada becoming the “51st state,” according to The Post Millennial.
Gretzky’s friendship with Trump has drawn criticism from many Canadians, according to The Post Millennial. Prior to the most recent vandalism incident, the Canadian hockey legend also attended Trump’s inauguration and election victory party.
According to The Post Millennial, a petition was started in Canada to change the name of Wayne Gretzky Drive in response to the criticism of the Canadian hockey icon and the defaced wine labels on Gretzky’s brand in numerous stores.
The New York Post shared images of the feces smeared across the face and jersey of the Gretzky statue in March on X, formerly Twitter. Gretzky and the 47th president are also seen in a photo the outlet shared.
