FOG BLOG SPORTS BREAKING NEWS LOG: CANADA'S HOCKEY FATHER, WALTER GRETZKY DIES:

Walter Gretzky, the ultimate Canadian hockey dad who taught and nurtured The Great One, has died. He was 82.

The father of Wayne Gretzky became a name himself, a constant in Wayne's world. As Wayne's star ascended, Walter remained a blue-collar symbol of a devoted hockey parent in a country filled with them.

Wayne Gretzky confirmed his father's death on Thursday night with a social media post.

``It's with deep sadness that Janet and I share the news of the passing of my dad,'' said Wayne. ``He bravely battled Parkinson's and other health issues these last few years, but he never let it get him down.

``For me, he was the reason I fell in love with the game of hockey. He inspired me to be the best I could be not just in the game of hockey, but in life.''

The two were also often intertwined, their father-son story used in commercials from Tim Hortons to Coca-Cola. And following in the footsteps of Alexander Graham Bell, they made Brantford, Ont., famous.

Walter was celebrated for far more than just fathering a superstar, however. His down-to-earth, no-airs approach to life and devotion to his family struck a chord with Canadians.

``Sometimes, I swear to you, I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming,'' Walter wrote in his 2001 autobiography ``Walter Gretzky. On Family, Hockey and Healing.''

``Wayne says the same thing.''