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NHL legend Wayne Gretzky once carried the Olympic flame at 2010 Vancouver Winter Games
At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Wayne Gretzky had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch. The torch relay was one of the most unique in Olympic history, lasting 106 days as the relay went from Athens to Vancouver. The torch relay began in Greece, with the flame being lit with the help of a parabolic mirror and the sun.
After being lit in Greece, the torch then traveled through the country from Oct. 22 to Oct. 29, before touching down in British Columbia. The torch spent five days traveling across British Columbus before traveling through Yukon and the Northwest Territories in the early part of November.
Over the next two and a half months, the torch traveled through Canada, visiting several Canadian territories and provinces leading up to the big day. On Feb. 12, Wayne Gretzky then traveled in the back of a pickup truck with the flame, bringing it to the cauldron to signify the start of the Olympics.
In total, the torch relay lasted 106 days, passing between a whopping 12,000 torchbearers from Oct. 30, 2009, to Feb. 12, 2010. Below, you can see the moment Wayne Gretzky carried the torch in the back of a car to the Olympic Cauldron, courtesy of a video from Rock 101:
Why has Wayne Gretzky never won an Olympic medal?
Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest athletes in the history of professional sports, has never won an Olympic medal.
At the time Gretzky was dominating the NHL, professional athletes weren't allowed to compete in the Olympics. Because of that, teams like the US 'Miracle on Ice' team were comprised of collegiate players, with pros unable to compete.
In addition, once professionals were allowed to compete, Wayne Gretzky and other NHL players didn't compete because the Olympic games took place in the middle of the team's season.
It's because of this that NHL players don't compete in the Olympics. Leading up to the 2022 Olympics in South Korea, Gretzky explained that he hoped the league and the NHL Player's Association would figure out a way to allow players to compete despite the disruption to the season.
"I really think it's a real special stage. There's something really unique and special about playing for your country and there's nothing bigger than playing for your country in the Olympic Games," Gretzky said (via USA Today).
"So, you know with the Winter Olympics being here in China, it would be so wonderful for our sport worldwide and for the people of China to see the best players in the world on centre stage."
However, the NHL seems to have changed its stance and plans to allow its players to compete at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games.
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