NHL Legend Wayne Gretzky’s High Praise for Ken Griffey Jr. Overshadows Derek Jeter’s Legacy and Intense Yankees Rivalry

Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. is a rare player loved all across the league. An explosive and iconic part of the Seattle Mariners in the 90s, Griffey Jr. has become synonymous with the Emerald City. So it’s no surprise Junior transcended baseball and became a sporting icon. This was proved once again when NHL’s “the Great One”, Wayne Gretzky, moved past his friendship with the Yankees legend Derek Jeter to praise Griffey Jr.

One interesting aspect of Griffey Jr’s career was his intense dislike for the New York Yankees. His career-long oath of never wearing the pinstripes gave him quite a lot of notoriety. So it’s interesting how Gretzky, a partner of the Yankees’ heart and soul Derek Jeter, was so open in his words for Junior.

Wayne Gretzky all praises for the iconic Ken Griffey Jr.

Gretzky was doing punditry for a game between the Seattle Kraken and the Vegas Golden Knights. As they were in Seattle, a name that came to everyone’s mind was Ken Griffey Jr. On hearing his name, The Great One started to praise Junior and noted his immense importance to the city of Seattle.

“What’s amazing about him is as great as a player he was, he was a better person. What you saw was real. The hat backwards, his personality, the fun, the enjoyment he had being a baseball player. And being sort of a hero in this city. He’s just as true as can be. He’s one of the great athletes of all time and without a question one of the nicest athletes I have met in my life,” Gretzky said. 

These two legends have crossed paths a few times. Perhaps their most popular meeting was during the Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament in 2011. Even though their meetings have been rare, it seems Gretzky has a lot of respect for the attitude of Griffey Jr. This isn’t a surprise, as Junior’s personality was one of his biggest selling points.

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The interesting fact, however, is how Gretzky went all in on praises for a player who hates the team of Gretzky’s partner, Derek Jeter.

Derek Jeter and Gretzky’s partnership

Derek Jeter and Wayne Gretzky have been connected for a long time. But in 2022, the two sporting icons came together to create a clothing brand  “Greatness Wins”. Jeter is famously one of the greatest Yankees of all time. For Gretzky to praise someone who hates the Yankees, shows how much respect he has for Junior.

At the same time, it looks like whatever hatred the players had on the field has remained just there. Off the field, the environment is one of respect and support. This can be seen clearly when one watches Jeter do analyst work with his sworn rival David Ortiz! If that can happen, then anything is possible.

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