The former Great One

What’s all the fuss about Wayne Gretzky and how Canadians feel betrayed by his apparent preference for things American. In his birthplace of Brantford, Ont., they’re particularly up in arms after naming a parkway and a sports centre after him. Just because he moved away to California and seems to have forgotten his home and native land.
Thousands of Canadians have moved to California annually for decades. Some have even become famous in movies: Jim Carrey, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, Ryan Gosling, Donald Sutherland, and Christopher Plummer.
There are also singers who come to mind such as Shania Twain. Plus my favorite actor on Friends, Matthew Perry, aka Chandler Bing. Born in the U.S., he was raised in Ottawa by his mother, Suzanne Morrison, press secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The California gold rush all started years ago with Mary Pickford, born in Toronto in 1892 who had a five-decade-long Hollywood career.
And look at Neil Young. His father, Scott Young, was a columnist for the Globe and Mail. He’d split with his wife who took the kids. Neil eventually ended up on a California ranch making such hits as Old Man. “Old man, take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you, I need someone to love me the whole day through.” Despite not seeing or talking to Neil for decades, Scott thought the song was about him. In fact, it was about a worker on Neil’s farm.
All these folks entertained us and we were proud of them. Which takes us back to Gretzky, who used to be known as “The Great One.” Number 99 with the Edmonton Oilers. His presence at an election night party with Donald Trump started the slide that picked up speed when he attended Trump’s inauguration. And Trump promoted him as governor of the 51st state. 
But none of that really bothered me until he showed up at the Canada-U.S. hockey game and seemed to favour the U.S. team over his Canadian brethren. There have been other turncoats in history: Benedict Arnold, Judas Iscariot and the man who gave his name to such betrayal: Vidkun Quisling.
Now Wayne Gretzky joins their number as the first Canadian turncoat. Too bad he’s about to lose his all-time NHL goals record of 894. And to a Russian, no less, Alex Ovechkin, who’s only three behind. I’ll be cheering for the Russian. Let’s make him an honorary Canadian.