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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – One of Canada’s greatest athletes attended Canada’s men’s national team’s friendly against Venezuela, offering support in their build-up to the 2026 World Cup.
Wayne Gretzky travelled to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale to speak to Canada before the match. The NHL legend and all-time leading scorer was greeted by Canada head coach Jesse Marsch upon arrival at Chase Stadium and spoke with him on the field before the game.
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Gretzky is no stranger to managing Canadian teams at international events. Gretzky served as Canada’s men’s national hockey team executive director at the 2002 Winter Olympics, where Canada won it first men’s Olympic hockey gold medal in 50 years.
Canada has welcomed other notable Canadian figures into the dressing room as of late. After their Copa América quarterfinal win over Venezuela in 2024, NHL star Sidney Crosby visited the team’s dressing room and spoke to players after the win. Following Canada’s October friendly loss to Australia in Montreal, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to the team postgame.
“You are going to transform this country,” Carney told Canada after the loss. “This is soccer. It’s unifying Canada. It’s showing the world what Canada is, what kind of people we are and what kind of competitors we are.”
Gretzky has recently drawn criticism in Canada his personal ties to U.S. President Donald Trump during the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament earlier this year.
Gretzky recently addressed that criticism on an episode of the “100% Hockey” podcast released on Nov. 12.
“People are going to say and believe what they want,” Gretzky said on the podcast. “The bottom line is, I know in my heart I’m Canadian, I’ve stayed Canadian and I’m a Canadian for life.”
Canada’s men’s national team is currently ramping up campaigns to draw widescale public interest in their World Cup campaign. Canada Soccer recently launched their “Iconic XI” campaign to bring together Canadian cultural leaders to act as supporters and ambassadors of the men’s national team. Crosby, an NHL icon in his own right, and Shawn Mendes, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, were among the first players added to the campaign.
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Joshua Kloke is a staff writer who has covered the Maple Leafs and Canadian soccer for The Athletic since 2016. Previously, he was a freelance writer for various publications, including Sports Illustrated. Follow Joshua on Twitter @joshuakloke
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