Walter Gretzky
Walter Gretzky, CM, OOnt (October 8, 1938 – March 4, 2021) was a Canadian ice hockey executive. He was best known as the father of Canadian ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky.[1]
Walter Gretzky CM OOnt | |
|---|---|
 Walter Gretzky in 2010 | |
| Born | October 8, 1938 Canning, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | March 4, 2021 (aged 82) Brantford, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Other names | "Canada's hockey dad" |
| Occupation | Cable repairman |
| Spouse(s) | Phyllis Hockin (m. 1960; her death 2005) |
| Children | 5, including Wayne, Keith and Brent |
Walter was an installer and repairman for Bell Canada for 34 years, retiring in 1991. A work-related injury in 1961 put him in a coma and deafened his right ear.[2]
He helped charities and fundraisers and coached at his summer youth hockey camp in California.
Walter had worked for the CNIB Foundation (formerly the Canadian National Institute for the Blind).[3]
Gretzky died on March 4, 2021 in Brantford, Ontario from problems caused by a fractured hip at the age of 82.[4] He had Parkinson's disease at the time of his death.[5]
References
- Wayne Gretzky Profile www.famoussportspeople.com/wayne-gretzky Archived May 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- "Walter Gretzky, Canada's hockey dad - CBC Archives". Retrieved 2021-03-05.
- "Remembering Walter Gretzky". CNIB. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
- "Walter Gretzky, Canada's greatest hockey dad, dead at 82". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- Stubbs, Dave (March 4, 2021). "Walter Gretzky dies at 82, father of Wayne Gretzky". NHL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
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