Lorne Thurston and Joseph McIntyre were planning to get an up-close look at the Wayne Gretzky statue in downtown Edmonton on Friday, when they realized it had been smeared with what appeared to be — and strongly smelled like — feces.
Wearing a white Oilers jersey, McIntyre was visiting from Nova Scotia and had hoped to get a photo with the Great One’s likeness.
“Disappointing,” he said. “It shouldn’t have been done.”
Thurston, who hails from B.C., also said he was disheartened by the desecration.
“I thought people had more class.”
The pair were part of a group of friends who stopped to watch as an employee walked out of Rogers Place and wiped Gretzky’s face with a towel doused in cleaning product.
The statue, which stands outside the current home of the NHL team, was first unveiled on the grounds of Northlands Coliseum in August 1989. It was relocated in 2016 for the start of the Oilers’ inaugural season at the new arena.
Gretzky has recently drawn the ire of many in Canada for his public support of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has expressed his desire for Canada to join the U.S and become its 51st state.
The Ontario-born Gretzky’s ties to Edmonton are deep, as he led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories and set multiple scoring records that stand to this day. A trade in August 1988 sent him to Los Angeles.
Off the ice, Gretzky and his wife, Janet, were married at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton in July 1988 in a lavish service that garnered global attention.
His accomplishments, much like the statue honouring his likeness, still resonate with hockey fans, like Juanita Taylor.
“Why would someone want to do that?” said Taylor, standing with the group of friends at the statue.
“[The statue] might not mean much to some people, but it means something to other people.”
Tim Shipton, executive vice-president of external affairs with OEG Sports & Entertainment, said it’s unfortunate that there’s been “issues of disorder” in the downtown core over the past several years.
“We have zero tolerance for vandalism of any kind within our district, especially one of our city’s most iconic landmarks that celebrates the career of Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player to ever play the game, and his special connection with Oilers fans around the world,” Shipton said in a statement.
“We are currently investigating and will take the appropriate next steps as information becomes available.”
A spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service said it hadn’t been made aware of any vandalism.
