Lorne Thurston and Joseph McIntyre planned to have a close glimpse Wayne Gretzky Friday, statue of downtown Edmonton, when they realized that it had been coated with faeces – and strongly felt to be – excrement.
Dressed in a jersey of white oilers, McIntyre visited Nova Scotia and hoped to have a photo of the resemblance of the Great.
“Disappointing,” he said. “It shouldn’t have been done.”
Thurston, originally from British Columbia, also said that he was discouraged by desecration.
“I thought people had more class.”
The pair was part of a group of friends who stopped to watch an employee get out of Rogers place and wipe the face of Gretzky with a sprayed towel in a cleaning product.
The statue, which is held outside the current house of the National Hockey League, was unveiled for the first time on the Northlands Coliseum field in August 1989.
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He was moved in 2016 for the start of the inaugural season of Oilers in New Rogers Place Arena.
Gretzky recently attracted the anger of many to Canada to his public support for US President Donald Trump, who expressed his desire for Canada to join the United States and become his 51st state.
The links of Gretzky born in Ontario with Edmonton are deep, because he led the oilers to four victories of the Stanley Cup and established several score records which are held to date. A trade in August 1988 sent him to Los Angeles.
Outside the ice, Gretzky and his wife, Janet, were married at the Saint-Joseph basilica in Edmonton in July 1988 in a sumptuous service that drew global attention.
Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones Mariage.
Ron Bull / Toronto Star via Getty Images
His achievements, just as the statue honoring its resemblance, always resonate with hockey fans, like Juanita Taylor.
“Why would someone want to do this?” said Taylor, standing with the group of friends of the statue.
“(The statue) may not mean much for some people, but that means something for others.”
The Oilers’ entertainment group has said that unfortunately, the Arena region has not been immune to the disorder and other problems affecting the city center in recent years.
“We have no tolerance for vandalism of all kinds in our district, in particular one of the most emblematic monuments of our city which celebrates the career of Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player to have ever played the game, and his special connection with fans of the ilers in the world.
“We are currently investigating and will take the next appropriate steps as the information is available.”
A spokesperson for the Edmonton police service said that he had not been informed of vandalism.
– With Karen Bartko files, Global News
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