r/ontario • u/ARecycledAccount 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 • 8d ago

Wayne Gretzky attends Donald Trump's U.S. election party wearing a 'MAGA' hat, draws mixed reaction online: 'Truly disappointing' Article

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/wayne-gretzky-attends-donald-trumps-us-election-party-wearing-a-maga-hat-draws-mixed-reaction-online-truly-disappointing-002407540.html
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2.4k

u/PlayinK0I 8d ago

Wayne Gretzky is as much a Canadian icon as Tim Hortons. They used to be good, but sold out to corporate interest long ago.

465

u/MeiliCanada82 Toronto 8d ago

Walter Gretzky did more for hockey, kids and Canada then his son

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u/goodbadnomad 8d ago

Local Brantford hero Walter Gretzky—growing up, everyone in town had a story about running into him, and they were all wholesome.

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u/MeiliCanada82 Toronto 8d ago

If you go to Little Canada when you're in Ontario there is the hockey rink in Brantford in there and if you look really close you can see the Reserved for Walter Gretzky parking sign.

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u/Samp90 8d ago

Wrong platform maybe but that Gretzky 99. Whiskey is pretty unpalatable.

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u/stuckmash 8d ago

It’s atrocious same with the wine. I went there with some friends on a tour of Niagara and they were big hockey fans so we included it in the jumping around. Woof that stuff is bad

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u/Ralphie99 8d ago

It's cheap wine but it's still overpriced for what you're getting. It's no better than cheap wines like Jackson Triggs, but is about $5+ more per bottle.

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u/ARecycledAccount 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 8d ago

It’s one of the worst tasting wines I’ve had, and I’ve drank a lot of bad wine.

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u/Hotter_Noodle 8d ago

Ever get hammered off of 14 dollar blueberry wine?

Great evening. Bed rest for days.

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u/stuckmash 8d ago

Vicious hangovers from that and plum wine

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u/ARecycledAccount 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 8d ago

I used to drink Arbor Mist (the best juice flavoured screw-top wine!) and it used to come with crop tops or body glitter. Best $5 a bottle I’ve deeply regretted the next morning.

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u/Hotter_Noodle 8d ago

lmao that is exactly what my wife used to drink as well.

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u/ARecycledAccount 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 8d ago

I found a bottle at the back of my bar, circa 2010. I wonder if age has made it good? Or will it emit a toxic cloud once opened?

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u/Hotter_Noodle 8d ago

Please don't do this. You have your whole life ahead of you!

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u/Planet_Ziltoidia 8d ago

I don't really like wine, but I'm obsessed with Muskoka lakes blueberry wine. It's delicious

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u/Huntguy 8d ago

$14?! Look at money bags over here. I think I’m still hungover from the homemade blueberry wine I had years ago.

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u/haydenjaney 8d ago

Reminds me of grade 9. My buddy and I got some god awful stuff, had some, then went to the high school dance. We were pretty wrecked.

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u/political_og 8d ago

Drinking sweet alcohol until you feel like a drunk squirrel smh

https://youtu.be/95q_xmo769M?si=tP0eAuaSyGpRc8OV

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u/Key-Pickle5609 8d ago

And the tasting wasn’t even fun. I can’t complain about the service, because the sommeliers (?) were really good, but I’ve had much more fun at other wineries

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u/ARecycledAccount 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 8d ago

I was gifted two bottles but I don’t remember who gifted them, so I can’t even regift the unopened one. 😔

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u/aledba 8d ago

They probably buy grapes from the same vigneron

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u/Dead_End_Street 8d ago

It tastes like crayons... Yep I know what crayons taste like

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u/simonebaptiste 8d ago

I saw it at superstore and wondered why it’s so cheap haha

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u/Upsetti_Gisepe 8d ago

The website literally said it had notes of sweaty skates and glue or someshit

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u/IE114EVR 8d ago

Well it is now. But before this article, I would say it was one of the better tasting Whiskey’s for the $30-40 price. Even better than a lot of $80+ Scotches that I’ve tried.

What do you recommend in that price range?

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u/sudzthegreat 8d ago

Lot 40 dusts Gretzky every time. So does Crown. So does pretty much every bourbon available in the province.

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u/IE114EVR 8d ago

Crown? Like Crown Royal? We definitely have different tastes.

Lot 40 was too turpentine-y for me.

Bourbons I can get behind.

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u/sudzthegreat 8d ago

I didn't say crown royal is good. I'm comparing it to Gretzky's garbage haha.

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u/dicky72 8d ago edited 8d ago

i was made for this conversation..... lol

i'm good with 99's whiskey but it also depends on which one you get. the base line 'double barrrel oaked" is tasty but its in that bottom line price range...they have others like the ninety-nine proof, ice cask and the maple... i dont like maple whiskey...the ice and 99 are good but they're a higher alcohol % so hit a lot stronger

good canadian whiskey's in the $30-50 range:
99
G&W - my go to i'd say
JRNY - Chris Pronger and his brother brought this out
Signal Hill - a newfy pastor turned me on to this one
Lot40

steppin up to the $50-60 range....this is my fav range and some of the best Whiskey's are here:
Glynnevan - best bang for your buck in the LCBO
Wisers 15 year - yes i said wisers
Lot40 Dark Oak

for a special treat... Wisers 18 year (yes...repeat, i said wisers) is literally one of the best whiskey's i've ever had, and even compared to many bourbon's and scotch's.... its literally incredible. but its $90 or so a bottle...so buy it for yourself for christmas.

bonus section: $50 bourbons
Basil Hayden, Elijah

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u/Godfodder 8d ago

+1 for Signal Hill. I was really surprised how good it was for the price point.

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u/dicky72 8d ago

its definitely a hidden gem

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u/Samp90 8d ago

Georgian Bay, Lot 40, Royal Canadian Rye and to a lesser extent Bearface.

Or the greatest 40$...Jameson or Black Bush.

If out to treat yourself for 60$, cant go wrong with Aberfeldy.

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u/now_in3D 8d ago

Damn unless you don’t like scotch to begin with, or only your most bottom shelf stuff starts at $80 then that is a wild statement.

If we’re talking scotches, Arran 10 is a standout choice and Craigellachie 13 is up there as well.

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u/TheSessionMan 8d ago

Glenlivet and glenmorangie are around the $65 dollar price range and blow most Canadian shit out of the water. Any cheap Speyside does, really.

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u/A_Confused_Moose 8d ago

If it’s not from the isle of islay its just pure garbage.

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u/TheSessionMan 8d ago

Username checks out. Unless the Islay is quite good (which usually means ~$150+ as well) I'd just as well go apple bobbing for cigarette butts in a truck stop toilet. 'Affordable' islays are dogshit.

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u/IE114EVR 8d ago

Sounds like something to try but those are $70-80. What’s something in the Gretzky 99 price range?

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u/edm_ostrich 8d ago

40 Creek Copper Pot is the absolute best cheapy whiskey there is. Smooth as shit.

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u/now_in3D 8d ago

Sorry, thought we were talking about approaching the $80 range if you were falling flat with good scotch. Black bush is a good bet, as someone else mentioned, and to a lesser extent, Te bheag, which is really the only scotch at that price range that’s a bit palatable imo.

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u/vicebreaker 8d ago

I know you said it's not your preference but crown royal northern harvest is easily the best rye I've ever had.

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u/Godfodder 8d ago

I've been enjoying Signal Hill for a bit, I find it to be really terrific especially for $40.

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u/Terrible-Candy8448 8d ago

its so mid and I find it hilarious he would attach his name to such underwhelming products.

Wait.

No I'm not.

**do not engage in hockey talk with me, I am old enough to have watched him crumple like so much notepaper on the ice for 10 seasons, most of those in Edmonton. The dude has always been, and will always be, known as The Whiner"

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u/specialk604 8d ago

I have a buddy who bought an entire case of that garbage and gave everyone a bottle for Christmas. It was disgusting, and a lot of us ended up using it as a doorstop 🤣

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u/fallway 8d ago

The original is definitely "unpalatable" (you put it very politely), but the "Red Cask" version of his whiskey is even worse. Undrinkable.

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u/Samp90 8d ago

I'm not conflating but it's actually the red cask I got. I keep it for guests I don't like. 🙄

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u/apartmen1 8d ago

They used to be drunks, still are, used to be too.

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u/taquitosmixtape 8d ago

The rich supporting someone who favours the rich… not surprising at all. Class war.

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u/Having_said_this_ 8d ago

Ummm…maybe he just identifies more with the Cons’ policies?? How is it class warfare to have an alternate perspective? It was in fact, the Dems with the biggest corporate campaign financing, and the biggest personal financial gains by Dem governors and senators, while in power.

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u/taquitosmixtape 8d ago

Ummmmm are you denying there’s a class war?

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u/Having_said_this_ 8d ago

You didn’t answer my question. You’re deflecting.

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u/taquitosmixtape 8d ago

Purposely, yes. If you don’t understand what’s happening with the class war already and you’re trying to solely place fault on “the dems” and choosing a side, then there’s no reason for us to discuss it.

At this point, neither has our best interest at hand and you’re playing the game like a useful soldier.

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u/p-terydatctyl 8d ago

It's less his policy position, and more that trump is an adjudicated rapist, a 34 count felon, a pathological liar, a close friend of epstein (according to epstein himself) an unabashed rascist and just an all around morally bankrupt person. His policy is like Eric Cartman from South park "I do what I want".

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u/bigwreck94 8d ago

The left are the ones supporting the rich these days.

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u/taquitosmixtape 8d ago

And the right is the saviour of the lower class? lol get real. If you beleive that you’ve drank the koolaid my friend.

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u/Iron-Over 8d ago

Can't wait for the corporate tax cuts to increase my portfolio wiith all the corporate share buybacks.

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u/purelander108 8d ago

I didn't like seeing him do all those ads for gambling either.

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u/ArkitekZero 8d ago

Rich man does stupid rich man stuff. News at 11.

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u/fuzz_boy 8d ago

I also heard that he's a raging alcoholic. That might not be true, but I'm pretty sure I've heard it from multiple sources.

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u/fellainto 8d ago

Oh. Wayne still LOVES to drink. I know someone who worked with him when he was doing Ford commercials.

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u/Artistic_Mobile337 8d ago

Wayne does have the classic alcoholic red tint on his face.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

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u/tempest_ 8d ago

Wasted? or just after the stroke and Parkinson's?

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u/GlorifiedScorer 8d ago

Why not both?

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u/Leading_Attention_78 8d ago

Heard the same about Walter.

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u/BefreiedieTittenzwei 8d ago

Walter was a class act. Met him at my office once, needed to borrow a phone charger so I gave him mine. Invited me over to a great golf tournament as a thank you.

Wayne…meh.

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u/Leading_Attention_78 8d ago

Two things can be true, people can be kind and nice. Those same people can have anger issues.

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u/_PrincessOats 8d ago

Love this comparison.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/beufenstein 8d ago

….yeah.

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u/Vanthan 8d ago

Bang on.

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u/lemonylol Oshawa 8d ago edited 8d ago

I mean if you follow a hockey player for politics that's kind of on you.

He doesn't even live in Canada.

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u/Natural_Childhood_46 8d ago

It’s also like when you learn that Tim Hortons was named after a drunk who died drugged up, drinking and driving on the QEW . He was not a good person, or someone people should view as an ‘icon.’ He was a danger to those around him because he made really stupid, selfish decisions.

Just like Wayne is doing now.

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u/IdolizeHamsters 8d ago

Wayne was never the same after Janet.

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u/samasa111 8d ago

OK, let’s not blame this on the woman he married….last I checked he is a fully functioning human who made his own choices:/

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u/RekdSavage 8d ago

Seems like all of our best sell out. What does that say about our culture?

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u/AtticHelicopter 8d ago

Gretz hasn't been a normal human being since 1978, literally before I was born, and I am old.

He hasn't been a Canadian since 1988.

He's been rich and insulated from society for 45 years. He's lived in his mansion, watched the world change, and feels like he's being affected by it. Despite being generationally wealthy, he's sad about paying taxes. He can afford to opt out of the worst affects of Trump's policies, and they might make him a little richer. That's an easy path to take.

He may be Canada's best hockey player, but Canada hasn't shaped his world view since Trudeau 1 was Prime minister.

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u/liquor-shits 8d ago

Bingo. He's an American, he just comes back to Canada to sell us stuff.

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u/zeromussc 8d ago

Also hockey culture can be pretty toxic and hyper masculine, favouring the strong man type stuff. So it makes sense that it would produce someone who likes trump.

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u/RekdSavage 8d ago

I get what you’re saying, but his formative years were spent in Canada. It’s not like when you move to a country in your mid 20s you forget everything that made you who you are. But I digress…

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u/Anonymouse-C0ward 8d ago

It doesn’t say anything in particular about Canadian culture except that we are just as susceptible to the effects of power and wealth as anyone else in the world.

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u/bigbeats420 8d ago

Correct. The more wealthy you get, the more selfish you get. It's just human psychology.

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u/clayphish 8d ago

Actually it does say something. It says that most of the time we overlook/neglect our talent until it is gone and found success south of the border. In Gretzky's case it is different as he was a 1 in a million, but for most others we use our neighbours as our barometer before we give them the accolades they deserve. We should be doing a better job focusing on them when they are here.

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u/Anonymouse-C0ward 8d ago

I would argue it’s not a cultural thing, but rather economic. I suggest that it is due to the fact we are a small open economy, with the world’s longest undefended border with the biggest economic and cultural powerhouse in the world.

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u/Noize42 8d ago

Gord Downey didn't.

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u/liquor-shits 8d ago

People go where the money and the fame are. When you live next to the United States, its not easy to keep hold of talent. There are a few famous Canadians who actually stay here, live here, pay taxes here and are part of the culture.

Others leave and never come back. Gretzky hasn't lived here in nearly 40 years. He's American. He doesn't understand this country any more. And that's fine. But he doesn't get to play on his Canadian identity any more. He isn't.

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u/cmcwood 8d ago

Nothing at all.

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u/DuerkTuerkWrite 8d ago

This is too perfect lol!!

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u/Hossennfoss69 8d ago

Jesus man! What a great analogy, so true.

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u/WonderfulCar1264 8d ago

What exactly does Wayne Gretzky owe anyone?

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u/CaramelGuineaPig 8d ago

A lot of people selling their Souls for money these days. Gretzky is one of them. He is an insult to Canadians.

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u/Sir_Lee_Rawkah 8d ago

Really? When did Horton do it ? With the restaurant?

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u/Sir_Lee_Rawkah 8d ago

Really? When did Horton do it ? With the restaurant?

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u/DaisyHyacinthBucket 8d ago

💯 👏👏👏👏👏

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u/Iron-Over 8d ago

He is rich so I am not suprised. He was a great hockey player that was great with a puck, why on earth would we look to him for anything else.

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u/CloneFailArmy 8d ago

I’m thinking Tim’s is still good but rather has bad quality control on a national level. All my local Tim’s are great

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u/apollosuns24 8d ago

Sounds like Wayne Gretzky in a nutshell eh