Voting Station

Walter Gretzky

Please vote to return to collections.

Celebrity's Relative

The Resume

    (October 8, 1938-March 4, 2021)
    Born in Canning, Ontario, Canada
    Known as being 'Canada's Most Famous Hockey Dad'
    Pitchman for various products that were endorsed by Wayne
    Author of the books 'On Family, Hockey and Healing' and 'Gretzky: From Backyard Rink to the Stanley Cup'
    Father of Wayne, Kim, Glen, Keith and Brent Gretzky
    Father-in-law of Janet Jones Gretzky
    Grandfather of Paulina Gretzky

Why he might be annoying:

    He rode the coattails of Wayne's fame.
    He was extremely ambiguous when asked about his ethnic origins, with journalists writing he was either or Russian, Ukrainian or Polish ancestry.
    He never talked about his other four children in the same regard as he did for Wayne.
    He looked like the actor, Joseph Bologna.
    He was described as being shy and initially reluctant to the idea of public life.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He and his wife, Phyllis were married for 45 years at the time of her passing.
    He worked as a service repairman for Bell for 34 years.
    Wayne credits him for teaching him the finer points of hockey, along with instilling the hard-nosed work ethic he played with throughout his career.
    He was down-to-earth and always made time to interact with the fans and players, no matter what age or skill level.
    He was a tireless advocate for charitable causes that would benefit visually impared people, as well as for underprivileged children.
    He received the Order of Canada for his contributions to hockey and sport.
    Wayne was emphatic in his eulogy to his father that he did not die from COVID-19 (coronavirus).
    He passed away from complications that were related to a long time hip injury.

Credit: Ricky & battyx3


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 12 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 200 Votes: 50.50% Annoying