The 2002 Winter Olympics were hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Wayne Gretzky served as executive director of Canada’s men’s hockey team.
Gretzky’s job was an administrative and leadership role rather than that of head coach or general manager. Canada began the tournament slowly, going 1–1–1 in its first three games, including a 3–3 draw with the Czech Republic.
Canada recovered in the medal round and defeated the United States 5–2 in the gold-medal game. The victory gave Canada its first men’s Olympic hockey gold medal since 1952 and made Salt Lake City a defining chapter in Gretzky’s post-playing career.
A common mix-up is Turin, which hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics; Gretzky was also Canada’s executive director there, but Canada failed to win a medal.