‘He’s Just Intimidating’: Wayne Gretzky Honors Son-in-Law Dustin Johnson By Calling Him a ‘Saint’

Dustin Johnson is married to Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of hockey legend, Wayne Gretzky. While the couple has happily co-existed, did Wayne ever have any reservations about his son-in-law? As it happened, he did, but as per the latest developments, the Canadian shares a much better relationship now.

Wayne Gretzky’s rollercoaster ride with Dustin Johnson

Speaking on the Smartless podcast recently, the “Great One” spoke about whether he saw eye-to-eye with his son-in-law. The former ice hockey player detailed his experiences with Johnson while playing on the golf course while appreciating him for his patience and love for the game.

Read more: WATCH: Dustin Johnson Narrowly Avoids a Nasty Injury During LIV Golf Celebrations

“I still get nervous playing with him … he’s just intimidating, but he’s so nice,” he said. “He’s one of those guys, he just has a love for the game, and if he plays with a beginner or a 10 handicap or with his boys, he has the patience of a saint.”

“He just truly loves the game and, that’s something really special — you either have that, or you don’t, and he has that,” he further added.

When asked more specifically about his feelings over Johnson as his son-in-law, Gretzky made a witty golf proverb to express his feelings. “When you hit a bad shot, you call it a son-in-law, and people say, ‘What does that mean?’ and you say, ‘It’s not quite what I had in mind,’” Wayne quoted, before hilariously denying that Johnson was similar.

“I’m the opposite; my son-in-law is the best. He’s great to his kids, he’s a good father, he’s a wonderful guy,” he said.

While the recent conversation has reassured any anxious fans, matters were much tenser beforehand. Reportedly, Wayne didn’t approve of Johnson due to the latter’s wild partying antics and unclaimed problems with drug usage, which has even left the player to take a break from golf. Wayne even threatened to call off the couple’s marriage, but fortunately, DJ got his act together.

How did Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky meet?

LIV golfer Dustin Johnson first met Paulina Gretzky in 2009, but they went on their first date three years later. It turned out to be an eventful affair, as the 38-year-old realized the way things worked in the Gretzky household.

“I don’t know if you can call it a date since my dad tagged along,” Paulina once told Golf magazine, to which her father had claimed, “That’s how it goes in our family.”

However, Johnson wasn’t intimidated and instead felt an instant chemistry with her to-be wife. He proposed to Paulina in August 2013, and later got engaged to her a year later. There were reports that the couple was fast-moving forward with a wedding planned in 2014, but Johnson’s busy golf schedule led to a lengthy postponement.

The pair finally returned their vows on 23rd April 2022 at a romantic wedding ceremony in Tennessee. They share two children, sons Tatum Gretzky Johnson and River Jones Johnson.

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