Even if you’re not a huge sports fan, you probably still know who Wayne Gretzky is. The Canadian hockey player is an absolute legend in both the hockey world and the world of professional sports in general. After all, you don’t get the nickname “The Great One” without a lot of merit and skill.
Gretzky’s personal life is often as chronicled as his hockey stats, because let’s face it – we all want to know more about The Great One. His wedding way back in 1988 to stunner Janet Jones had people around the world watching. And, as with the children of any professional athlete who try their own hand at sports, everyone is closely watching Gretzky’s sons as they dabble in sports themselves – after all, what if they have even a sliver of the skill their father has?
There’s a lot about Gretzky to be celebrated, as you don’t get to the iconic level he has gotten to if you’re not at least somewhat charming and admirable in your personal life. Sure, some pro sports stars behave egregiously, but the majority who go on to achieve enduring popularity also win their fans' love and respect. There’s one small part of the Gretzky family that Wayne may not want you to be paying such close attention to, however and she goes by the name of Paulina.
That’s right – Paulina Gretzky.
Now, of course The Great One loves his daughter and is proud of her regardless – he’s her father, after all. However, he’s known for his wholesome image and insane skills, while his offspring has made a name for herself (and a bit of a reputation) by posting incredibly risqué and scandalous photographs of herself on social media, usually in nothing more than an itty bitty bikini.
Despite growing up in the spotlight thanks to her famous father, Paulina pretty much seems to do or say whatever she wants to, something that likely has Poppa Gretzky scratching his collar nervously at times.
Here are 10 things Wayne Gretzky wants you to forget about Paulina.
10 10. The Bikini Picture-Driven Reputation
Okay, it would be absolutely insane to suggest that women have zero photographs of themselves in bikinis on their social media accounts. Between vacations and days at the pool, or even just hanging out in the backyard in the hot summer weather, its bound to be captured on film at some point. However, when your Instagram feed is populated almost entirely by bikini selfies and the bikinis seem to get increasingly smaller as the feed goes on? That’s when there’s a bit of a problem. It’s not merely the presence of the bikini shots that Wayne wants you to forget (although, as a father, he’d probably prefer you didn’t look at them). It’s the sheer amount of photos and the sheer amount of skin, on display. Though many readers were outraged when Paulina got the cover of Canadian fashion magazine Flare back in 2013, dad was probably just glad that she was photographed with some clothes on.
9 9. Oh No Canada
Hockey is Canada’s sport – countless Canadians live and breathe hockey, they’re raised on weekend hours-long drives to the rink, they idolize hockey players both past and present. To say hockey is a big deal to Canadians is a bit of an understatement, so the fact that The Great One hails from the Great White North is a huge deal to Canadians. To Paulina? Not so much. In an interview with Maxim magazine, Paulina all but wrinkled her nose at her father’s home and native land, saying that “I know where my dad is from, and I know how much he means to Canada, but I’m American.” Don’t worry, Paulina – Canada’s not offended. American can have you. We’ll keep your dad.
8 8. Make-Out Selfies with Dustin Johnson
Every dad wants his daughter to find happiness with the right man, to find someone who can love and care for her for the rest of her life. With Paulina’s wild ways, Gretzky was probably happy when she managed to find someone who caught her eye, professional golfer Dustin Johnson. However, while some couples post pictures of themselves on walks together or on dates at cute hole in the wall restaurants, Paulina posted a shot of the two of them making out at what seems like a sweaty club. Sure, the two have posted a few shots pool-side or while exploring the city, but dad likely wants to erase the evidence of his baby girl and her then-boyfriend (later husband) tongue wrestling in a club.
7 7. The Maxim Cover
Every dad wants his daughter to achieve success and some may even look the other way when their award-winning daughters decide to pose in a more revealing photoshoot at some point in their careers. However, when your daughter is famous for pretty much nothing besides her name and her bikini collection, seeing her on the cover of men’s magazine Maxim probably has you wanting to hide all the copies on newsstands. For the cover, she’s posed in front of a yellow sports car in a tiny white bikini – it’s as if someone wondered what to do with a random hot girl and just decided to stick her in skimpy swimwear and throw her in front of a car. Of course, the tagline on the cover advertises her connection to her dad – and The Great One himself is probably shaking his head at the cover.
6 6. The Golf Digest Cover
Okay, if you’re not famous for much besides your name, the novelty doesn’t last too long and you won’t snag endless magazine covers. Paulina has only had a few to date and pretty much all of them have caused some kind of uproar – this one included. Thanks to her famous parents and her connection to golfer Dustin Johnson, Paulina was given the cover of Golf Digest magazine. She posed in, what else, a skimpy white top and skin-tight white pants. Female golfers in particular were upset with the cover, saying that her status as little more than eye candy definitely didn’t help professional female golfers get respect. Juli Inkster commented that “It’s Golf Digest, it’s not Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. I think they should maybe recognize some of the great women golfers that we have.” As a professional sports star himself, Gretzky likely gets the frustrations of the female golfers, making it all the more likely he wants you to just forget that Paulina agreed to the cover.
5 5. Her Failed Career
What does Paulina Gretzky do besides take bikini selfies and keep up her physique and grooming? Well, at one point she dabbled in what seemingly every privileged offspring of famous individuals dabbles in – the entertainment industry. She’s had a few small victories, such as the handful of controversial magazine covers, a tiny role in the 2009 remake of the classic musical film Fame, and even an album, Collecting Dust, released in 2006. Her famous dad has likely been able to supply her with endless individuals to train her, from dance teachers to vocal coaches (in fact, she even tweeted praise for Geeta Novotny, her vocal teacher) but talent simply can’t be bought. Though she likely manages to get through a lot more doors thanks to her famous name, you need a certain degree of talent to make it in the entertainment industry, and she simply hasn’t demonstrated that yet. Perhaps her next venture could be as a swimwear designer – it seems to be her area of expertise.
4 4. Her Twitter Account
Nowadays, Paulina is more known for her Instagram feed – people can scroll through her shared bikini selfies without having to read through any pesky words. However, back in the day, she was quite a Twitter star (like all her social media popularity, it mainly stemmed from the risqué photos she shared.) Though it’s now open and frequently updated, at one point Paulina closed her Twitter account. While she has never confirmed her reason for doing so, just before the account was shut she had tweeted that she was “having a nice sit down dinner with my dad about social media.” Many people have Sherlocked from that statement that dad probably wasn’t too happy with the kind of social media presence Paulina was cultivating.
3 3. Her Husband’s Less Than Squeaky Clean Image
Sure, professional athletes seem to have a slightly higher than average rate of infidelity and personal problems – after all, they have nothing but endless reserves of money and endless women throwing themselves at them. However, Wayne himself was a professional athlete and throughout his hugely successful career he remained squeaky clean, utterly devoted to his long-time wife Janet and their family. He showed up, stunned everyone on the ice and then went home to the Gretzky Compound for quiet family time. So, it likely irks Wayne that his daughter Paulina’s husband, also a professional athlete, seems to take the opposite approach. He’s been in the media for drug use (allegedly failing three drug tests for both marijuana and cocaine) and for his penchant for other tour players’ wives. Johnson even took a short leave of absence due to all the scandal. It’s incredible tabloid fodder, that’s for sure – but it’s something that The Great One likely wants you to forget all about. After all, that’s what he’s probably trying to do.
2 2. That's She's Now in MILF Territory
When Paulina was pregnant with her first child, The Great One probably had a small glimmer of hope. Surely, when she’s a mother, she’ll become a bit more domestic, a bit less willing to share every inch of her body with every one of her social media followers, right? Oh, was he wrong. Paulina is a relatively new mom, so it’s a bit too soon to tell, but the trademark bikini shots for which she became famous are starting to pop up on her Instagram feed again. Now, no one is saying that moms can’t be sexy. However, The Great One was likely hoping that Paulina would tone down her image a little after giving birth. We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out, but we’re betting that he’ll be hoping in vain. No baby is going to keep her from her bikinis!
1 1. The 99 Tattoo
Oh, the 99 tattoo. For anyone who doesn’t know, 99 was The Great One’s jersey number and any hockey fan knows exactly who Number 99 is. It’s an iconic number in the sports world thanks to Wayne. So, as a bit of a tribute to her father, Paulina got a tattoo with the number on it. Many people get tattoos that pay homage to someone they care for or admire, so it’s not really that big of a deal, right? Well, that is, until you see where Paulina got it. Rather than getting her tribute to her dad in a classy place, Paulina inked a ‘99’ on her pelvis. Ankle, shoulder blade, arm, there’s literally a thousand places she could have got it. After all, she’s almost constantly in bikinis, its not like it would have been covered up. The location of the tribute tattoo is a bit odd to say the least, and Gretzky probably doesn’t want you looking at it because of how close it is to certain parts of his daughter.