Jamie Nye: Walter Gretzky left a legacy all his own

Walter Gretzky will be remembered as Canada’s hockey dad.

Though the governor general is the head of state for Canada, it feels like Walter Gretzky seemed way more deserving of the title as head of state for our country.

He loved Canada and wherever he went, he was the most famous person in the room — unless, of course, his son was with him.

Gentleman to the core is the way to describe Mr. Gretzky.

Walter Gretzky’s time was dominated by charity requests and appearances. He did as many as he could even as his health was declining due to Parkinson’s disease.

But in the simplest form, Walter was just another hockey dad. He loved building the outdoor rink for his kids. He loved seeing them succeed, whether they were the best hockey player on the planet or not.

Mr. Gretzky treated people the same; he didn’t care who you were. If you wanted to spend time with Walter, he would give you the time, or as much as he could.

You really can’t say enough good things about Walter Gretzky and that’s as good a legacy as one can leave.