Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was once the hometown hero of Brantford, Ontario, but his allegiance to President Donald Trump amid a bitter tariff conflict has forced many Canadians to turn on him. 

The longstanding alliance between Canada and the United States has crumbled under Trump’s administration in light of reciprocal tariffs against America’s partners in the North. 

The relationship was already fragile when Trump began touting threats of making Canada the US’s ’51st state’ and revealing that he wanted Gretzky to serve as the ‘governor.’ 

The plans haven’t gone down well with Canadians, and Gretzky’s hometown is already feeling the effects of Trump’s tariffs. 

Graeme Roustan, a Canadian American businessman and owner of Roustan Hockey in Brantford branded the tariffs as ‘totally ridiculous.’ 

‘This business here has been in place for 178 years and it’s been selling product and trading product with the United States since before Canada was a country,’ Roustan told CNN. 

‘It’s just ridiculous to insult your neighbor, and as a dual citizen, Canadian American, I don’t understand it from the American point of view either, why would we insult Canadians?’

Roustan Hockey crafts wooden hockey sticks and is one of the only manufacturers in North America. 

The city of Brantford, Ontario, which is about an hour from Toronto, has always regarded hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, but the tides have seemed to turn since his open support for Donald Trump 

Gretzky has stayed silent on Trump’s tariffs against the US as the president has frequently stated his desire to make Canada the ’51st state’ and name Gretzky the ‘governor’ 

Business owners in Gretzky’s hometown have slammed the hockey legend for his ambivalence toward Trump’s tariffs. Gretzky is a longtime friend of the president’s, pictured here leaving a golf club together in 2015 

The company was in the process of making sticks for the Miracle on Ice Team USA 45th Anniversary Fantasy Camp when Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff tax on Canadian goods. 

Roustan told CNN that he had to quickly ship the hockey sticks to the US to avoid the tariff, noting that his customer wanted the product to ‘cross the border as soon as possible.’ 

Roustan isn’t the only Brantford resident frustrated with the tariff conflict, and some Canadians have even levied blame on Gretzky for continuing to support the president. 

While watching a game at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre, Rick Mannen told CNN that the hockey legend was the ‘voice of Canada’ and he wished Gretzky would choose to speak out against the tariffs. 

Junior hockey coach Terry Corbin said that Gretzky has moved on from his Brantford roots, telling CNN, ‘He hasn’t lived here for how many years. I mean, I almost see him as kind of somebody with dual citizenship, but who has chosen United States of America.’ 

The tariffs are set to impact local businesses in Brantford, with Mayor Kevin Davis noting that businesses sell up to 80 percent of their products to the US and buy raw materials from American factories. 

Davis said the tariffs will undoubtedly hit the auto parts industry, but is also set to impact food processing, plastics,, and pharmaceuticals. 

The mayor speculated that it could take the city four to 10 years to alter its industrial strategy if the tariffs persist. 

Davis feared that businesses in his city may shut down or have to reduce production. 

‘You know, we’re [Canadians] nice until we’re not. And yeah, if you want a war, then it’s a war. But it’s a, it’s a totally meaningless war from my perspective. I really, frankly don’t understand it,’ he told CNN. 

Graeme Roustan, a Canadian American businessman in Brantford, has said that his business has already had to adapt to Trump’s tariff

Brantford resident, Rick Mannen, said that he wished Gretzky would speak up about the tariffs, while Terry Corbin said he believed Gretzky picked the US over Canada 

Gretzky grew up in Brantford until he left in the late 1980s for the US. Pictured above is his childhood home 

US-Canada tariff drama 

The sweeping tariffs were announced on Wednesday as a means for the US to ‘pursue reciprocity to rebuild the economy and restore national and economic security,’ according to the Trump administration. 

The White House said that goods that are compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement will continue to be tariff-free while other goods will see a tax of 25 percent. 

USMCA goods include all products that are entirely sourced in the US, Mexico, and Canada, with auto parts as an exception. In response to Trump’s economic strategy, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney announced counter-tariffs. 

Carney called the Trump administration’s tariffs ‘unwarranted’ and ‘unjustified,’ arguing that they will ‘fundamentally change the international trading system.’ 

‘The U.S. tariffs will do harm to American workers and businesses, but Canada will also be impacted, with every Canadian feeling the effects,’ the announcement read. 

Canada’s countermeasures include a 25 percent tariff on non-USMCA assembled vehicles imported to the US. 

Gretzky has stayed silent as Trump slapped Canadian imports with a 25 percent tariff and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney announced reciprocal tariffs. Gretzky has consistently supported Trump and even attended his inauguration (pictured at the ceremony) 

Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers and became a hockey legend in Canada before moving to the US 

Gretzky’s statue in his hometown was vandalized with feces after his continued support for Trump 

Gretzky’s betrayal 

Amid the souring relationship of Canada and the US, many Canadians have taken their anger out on Gretzky. 

Gretzky has been open about his MAGA ties, celebrating Trump’s presidential win at his election-night party in Mar-a-Lago and attending the inauguration with his wife Janet Jones. 

Since his ties with Trump, Canadians have begun to turn their backs on Gretzky, with a petition to rename Gretzky Drive in Edmonton reaching over 12,000 signatures, The Athletic reported in March. 

As Canadians began to sense a betrayal from Gretzky, Trump quickly came to his defense, writing on social media, ‘He is the Greatest Canadian of them all, and I am therefore making him a “free agent,” because I don’t want anyone in Canada to say anything bad about him.’

‘He supports Canada the way it is, as he should, even though it’s not nearly as good as it could be as part of the Greatest and Most Powerful Country in the World, the Good Ole’ U.S.A.!’ 

However, Trump’s support didn’t curb the hate, as Gretzky’s stature in Brantford outside Roger Center was smeared with feces in March. 

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