“Was Pretty Devastated”: Wayne Gretzky’s Father Suffered the Saddest Moment Just Days Before Granddaughter Paulina’s Birth in 1988

Every bad day is followed by a good day, believed Walter Gretzky, father of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. In 1988, as the family eagerly awaited the arrival of a new Gretzky generation, they were struck by a piece of awful news. As his autobiography’s title suggests – On Family, Hockey and Healing, senior Gretzky shared many untold and memorable stories from his life, in the book.

In one such chapter, Walter talked about the contrary emotions the family underwent when they awaited Paulina’s arrival and mourned his mother’s death. Walter Gretzky remarks how he was the most affected by it, and described it as the “saddest moment” of his life.

Walter Gretzky’s greatest sorrow

In his book, Walter Gretzky details how he felt when the tragedy struck. “There were some not-so-happy events too, as there are in any family. Perhaps the saddest for all of us was the death of my mother, on December 11, 1988, only a few days before Paulina came to us. I was pretty devastated,” Walter wrote.

Walter was very close to his mother and mentioned how she was proud of Gretzky and her other grandchildren’s achievements. “We’d been so close. She’d been ill with leukemia for some time, and at eighty-five, had lived a good, long life. She was such a strong and supportive force in our lives and had lived to see her grandkids accomplish a lot, and to be very proud,” stated the hockey legend’s father.

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Soon, sad times were replaced with joy. as the void left by Walter’s mother’s death, was filled by Paulina’s arrival. However, his grandmother’s memories never left Gretzky, and he also remembered her while addressing the Russo–Ukrainian dispute.

Wayne Gretzky and his connection to Ukraine

The national legend once gave a speech during a fundraising dinner in Canada. The event was held to stand in solidarity against the Russia and Ukraine war. In this speech, Gretzky disclosed that his grandmother was a native of the war-torn country. ‘The Great One’ also recalled that his grandmother would often yell at him in Ukrainian. Due to her, the ice hockey legend felt a personal connection with the country and lent his support to them.

Gretzky also revealed that Canada’s support to Ukraine during the war personally relieved him. He also stated his happiness to be at the event with his wife and father. No doubt, Walter Gretzky must have felt overwhelmed to witness his son recalling his mother’s precious memories.

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