If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through old hockey highlights or catching a glimpse of the Great One at a golf tournament, you’ve probably wondered who is Wayne Gretzky married to and how they've managed to stay together for nearly four decades. In a world where celebrity marriages often have the shelf life of a carton of milk, Wayne and Janet Jones Gretzky are basically the gold standard.
They’ve been married since 1988. That’s a long time. Honestly, it’s a lifetime in "fame years."
The woman by his side is Janet Jones, an American actress and dancer who was a massive star in her own right long before she became "Mrs. Great One." Their story isn't just a sports-meets-Hollywood cliché; it’s a narrative involving a "Royal Wedding" in Canada, a controversial trade to Los Angeles, five kids, and a transition into becoming the coolest grandparents in the sports world.
The Meet-Cute That Took Years to Stick
Most people think they met and it was instant sparks. Not quite.
Wayne and Janet first crossed paths way back in 1984. Wayne was actually a celebrity judge on a show called Dance Fever, and Janet was a contestant. He was the king of Edmonton; she was a rising star in Hollywood. They met, they chatted, and then... they went their separate ways. Wayne was dating Vicki Moss at the time, and Janet was actually engaged to tennis pro Vitas Gerulaitis for a while.
They didn't really "reconnect" until 1987. They ran into each other at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
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Basketball, of all things, was the catalyst. They went out for beers after the game and realized they wanted the same things out of life. Primarily, they both valued family over everything else. After that, things moved fast. Like, Gretzky-on-a-breakaway fast. A year later, they were standing at the altar.
The Wedding of the Century (In Canada, Anyway)
When Wayne Gretzky got married on July 16, 1988, it wasn't just a private ceremony. It was a national event. People in Canada literally called it "The Royal Wedding."
The ceremony took place at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton. Thousands of people lined the streets just to get a glimpse of them. Janet wore a gown that reportedly cost $30,000—and remember, this was 1988—covered in 30,000 hand-sewn beads.
It was broadcast live across Canada. Can you imagine that today? A hockey player’s wedding being a must-see TV event? But that’s how much Wayne meant to the country.
Life Beyond the Rink: Who is Janet Jones?
Janet Marie Jones was born in Missouri and grew up as one of seven siblings. She was a powerhouse dancer, winning "Miss Dance of America" at 16. If you’ve seen the movie The Flamingo Kid or A Chorus Line, you’ve seen her work. She even appeared in Police Academy 5 and the iconic baseball flick A League of Their Own.
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There’s a common misconception that Janet was the reason Wayne left Edmonton for the Los Angeles Kings.
People called her the "Yoko Ono of Hockey." Fans were devastated when "The Trade" happened just weeks after the wedding, and they blamed Janet's Hollywood aspirations. But Wayne has been vocal for years that the trade was a business move and a personal choice he made for his family. Janet herself once joked in a documentary that she wouldn't have spent the next decade being "barefoot and pregnant" if her only goal was to become a massive movie star at the expense of his career.
The Five Gretzky Kids
The couple has five children, and if you follow sports or social media, you definitely know a few of them:
- Paulina Gretzky: The eldest, a model and singer who is famously married to pro golfer Dustin Johnson.
- Ty Gretzky: He followed in his dad's footsteps but focused more on the business side, founding the Gretzky Hockey School.
- Trevor Gretzky: Pursued baseball (signed with the Cubs once!) before moving into acting.
- Tristan Gretzky: A talented golfer who played at Pepperdine and NYU.
- Emma Gretzky: The youngest, who has been making a name for herself in collegiate tennis at SMU.
Maintaining a Marriage in the Spotlight
Honestly, one of the most interesting things about who Wayne Gretzky is married to is how they've handled the "normal" parts of life. Wayne has often said that Janet is the "quarterback" of the family. While he was out breaking every record in the NHL book, Janet was the one running the house and being the disciplinarian.
They’ve dealt with their fair share of headlines, too. Back in 2006, Janet was linked to an investigation into a gambling ring. It was a huge mess at the time, especially since Wayne was coaching the Phoenix Coyotes. Janet eventually released a statement saying she never placed bets on her husband's behalf, and Wayne was never implicated. They weathered that storm together, which is kinda what they do.
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Today, they live mostly in North Palm Beach, Florida. They’re "Honey" and "Papa" to their grandkids. They show up at NHL events, they support Paulina at golf tournaments, and they seem genuinely happy just hanging out.
What You Can Learn from the Gretzkys
If you’re looking for the secret sauce to a long-term relationship, the Gretzkys offer a few clues. First, they actually like each other. That sounds simple, but in their interviews, they still poke fun at one another and show genuine respect. Second, they prioritized family values over the glitz of their careers.
- Shared Values: They identified on their very first date that family was their top priority.
- Clear Roles: They’ve spoken about how they balanced the "fame" and the "home life" by having clear boundaries.
- Resilience: They didn't let public backlash (like the Edmonton trade reaction) or legal controversies tear them apart.
If you want to keep up with them, Janet is pretty active on Instagram, often posting shots of the grandkids or throwback photos from the 80s. It’s a fascinating look at a couple that managed to survive the peak of 80s fame and come out the other side intact.
To see more about their current life, you can check out the social media profiles of their daughter, Paulina, or look for Wayne's frequent appearances on NHL broadcasts where he still talks about Janet as his biggest supporter.