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This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, and we tell stories about everything here on this show, including your

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Known as Canada's hockey dad, Walter Gretzky died at the age of 82.

His death prompted an avalanche of tributes for an approachable authentic person who nurtured the unsurpassed hockey talents of his son, Wayne Gretzky, on the family's fame backyard rink in Brantford, Ontario.

Walter suffered a serious brain aneurysm which robbed him of much of his memory in 2007.

That includes many of Wayne's biggest moments.

The 60-year-old NHL legend-turned-American citizen delivered remarks at the St. Mark's Anglican

Church in Brantford shortly after laying his father to rest.

Wayne stepped up to the podium in front of family, heated in the pews, and reminisced about his father to rest. Wayne stepped up to the podium in front of family, heated in the pews,

and reminisced about his father's life. Here's Wayne Gretzky. Thank you. And obviously with the

pandemic that we've had, it's been horrible for everyone throughout the world,

Canada, North America.

I really wanted to tell everyone that my dad and my sister

and our family were so conscious of it

that COVID had nothing to do with the passing of my father.

Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, he sustained a bad hip injury.

And as he just said earlier, we thought weeks ago that the end was here.

He has tremendous amount of faith, faith like I've never seen, but he had a love for life and he didn't want to leave.

And we were 21 days sitting with him and just enjoying life and we got a chance and an opportunity to tell stories.

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