George Best? John McEnroe? David Beckham? NHL legend Wayne Gretzky weighs up his sporting Mount Rushmore at Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics
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Published 20/02/2026 at 18:57 GMT
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NHL icon Wayne Gretzky revealed a memorable meeting with David Beckham in Los Angeles and mentioned the footballer when considering which four sports stars would make his all-time Mount Rushmore. Speaking before Canada's men's semi-final against Finland at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which is live on discovery+, Gretzky also paid tribute to legends including John McEnroe.
Who is on Gretzky's sporting Mount Rushmore?
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky paid tribute to British sporting icons David Beckham and George Best when asked to name his sporting Mount Rushmore.
Gretzky, who would be in the top four for many sports fans across North America, spoke to TNT Sports before the men’s Winter Olympic ice hockey semi-final between Canada and Finland at Milano Cortina 2026.
The leading point scorer in NHL history did not specifically name his sporting Mount Rushmore - inspired by the American stone monument of four presidents.
But he did name the athletes that he idolised as a hockey player and spilled the beans on his all-star meeting with David Beckham.
"I will tell you how much I know [about sport], I used to know Georgie Best," Gretzky told TNT Sports.
"I grew up idolising people like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, I thought they were great athletes.
"And what made them great is the bigger the moment, the better they were and you could count on them."
Gretzky and Beckham - when sporting royalty met
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Gretzky holds the record for the most points in NHL history and won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, exerting such dominance on the league that the rules were altered in 1985 to limit the impact one player could have on a game when both sides had players sin-binned, with the change dubbed the ‘Gretzky Rule’.
But he never won an Olympic medal, with NHL players banned from competing in the Games until 1998, when 'The Great One' was 37.
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The Oilers’ decision to trade Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 was one of the biggest controversies in NHL history and caused such an uproar in Canada that a senior MP demanded the government block the move.
Though Gretzky later played in St Louis and New York, he settled in Los Angeles and was there to watch the next global sporting icon star signed to the City of Angels - LA Galaxy's David Beckham.
"When I was in LA, David Beckham came to LA," Gretzky added. "I did not know a lot about soccer and I said ‘I have got to see this guy play.’ He was so incredible, it was so much fun to watch him play.
"And more importantly, my son, at the time he was eight, we went down to the locker room and he took my son around and got every player in the team to sign his jersey. So I have got a great deal of respect for athletes who are really nice and perform well under pressure also."
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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