“I’ve had to take down several posts”: Blair Cowan of NOTL 4 All speaks out about the recent controversy about Wayne Gretzky

The Facebook thread on Wayne Gretzky, a controversial winery, has led to a call to boycott the company. Wine experts, including Andrew Peller Ltd., are not willing to comment publicly on the situation.
The public is also suggesting the winery be rebranded, removing any connection to the hockey player. Blair Cowan, administrator of the Facebook site NOTL 4 All, believes the news cycle has shifted to focus on tariffs, the Canadian economy, and job creation. This has been the most controversial discussion he has had to moderate to date.

Blair Cowan opened up out about the recent controversy about Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky was criticized for saluting American players and not wearing a Team Canada jersey during the Four Nations Face-Off. This incident has sparked social media controversy, with local anger directed towards Wayne Gretzky Estates, a wine company in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which opened in 2017 through a partnership between Andrew Peller LTD and Gretzky.


Many locals may not be welcoming to Brantford native Wayne Gretzky today, and have expressed their options for the winery to strip his name from its identity. The depth of anger over Gretzky's actions seems overblown after watching the Four Nations game, according to Cowan, who spoke to The Local.

“I’ve had to take down several posts,” Blair Cowan said, and has also “kicked out” one of the most frequent commenters as a result of his posts on the Gretzky thread. “Several people were calling him a traitor, and I was deleting those. I don’t want anybody to call anyone anything, and especial not traitor.”

Cowan discovered that Gretzky's entrance onto the ice, determined by event organizers, led him to the U.S. side, where the carpet was laid, requiring him to walk by the U.S. bench after watching the incident video. “He was told what to do and he followed instructions to the letter. He’s always been a gentleman. It would have seemed rude for him to walk by the U.S. team and not acknowledged them in some way.”

As for Gretzky not donning a Team Canada sweater, Cowan said, he was dressed appropriately in a suit. “I saw footage of him in the dressing room, talking to the players, and he looked like a hockey coach. Hockey coaches wear suits.”

Also Read: “Brought immense pride and greatness”: Mayor Kevin Davis came in to support Wayne Gretzky amid ongoing backlash