MINSK, 10 April (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled playing in one lineup with Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretsky as he gave an interview to the Interstate TV and Radio Company Mir on 8 April, BelTA has learned.
The conversation also touched upon the recent sporting events, including the historically significant achievement of Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky's record for career goals in the regular championships of the National Hockey League, scoring his 895th goal on 6 April.
“[Alexander] Ovechkin is a great athlete. He is our guy, a Russian man,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
It is a well-known fact that Wayne Gretzky is of Belarusian descent. His ancestors come from Belarus, and some of his relatives still live in Grodno Oblast.
“This is our pride, too. This guy is ours and the other one is ours,” the president emphasized, referring to the two legendary hockey players.
“Wayne Gretzky came to Belarus once, and we played with him in one lineup,” the head of state said. It was in January 2010, when the Canadian hockey player was a guest of honor at the KHL All-Star Games in Minsk. “The schedule of my visit to Minsk is very tight, so I managed to see the city only a little, got a little bit familiar with its history. The first impression of the Belarusian capital is great. Yesterday we played hockey together with the president of Belarus and the new coach of your Olympic team Mikhail Zakharov. I hope the Belarusian team will do well at the upcoming games in Vancouver,” Wayne Gretzky said during the press conference.
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