This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. That feeling when you're trying to build your credit, and it's like over and over again. Good news! Chase Credit Journey can help you with a personalized score improvement plan provided by Experian, so when you still need that credit built.
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Member FDIC. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint.
It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. Fall is the perfect time to refresh and reorganize your space.
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Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs.
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This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories. And we tell stories about everything here on this show. Including your story, send them to ouramericanstories.com. That's ouramericanstories.com. They're some of our favorites.
Known as Canada's hockey dad, Walter Gretzky died at the age of 82. His death prompted an avalanche of tributes. for an approachable, authentic person who nurtured the unsurpassed hockey talents of his son Wayne Gretzky on the family's fame backyard rink in Brantford, Ontario. Walter suffered a serious brain aneurysm which robbed him of much of his memory in 2007. That includes many of Wayne's biggest moments.
The 60-year-old NHL legend turned American citizen delivered remarks at the St. Mark's Anglican Church in Brantford shortly after laying his father to rest. Wayne stepped up to the podium in front of family, seated in the pews. and reminisced about his father's life. Here's Wayne Gretzky.
Thank you. Obviously, with the pandemic that we've had It's been horrible for everyone. throughout the world, Canada, North America. I really wanted to tell everyone that My dad and my sister and our family were so conscious of it, that COVID had nothing to do with the passing of my father. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago He sustained a bad hip injury.
And uh As you just said earlier, we thought weeks ago that the end was here. He has a tremendous amount of faith. faith like I've never seen. But he had a love for life and he didn't want to leave. And we were twenty one days sitting with them And just enjoying life, and we got a chance and an opportunity to tell stories.
Our grandchildren have never seen my dad. after his brain aneurysm. And we we were telling them all You're thankful that you didn't know him before his brain aneurysm because he was a lot tougher.
So It's been a tough time. I want to thank everyone in the community. Who dropped off food, who dropped off sandwiches They knew we were all there for twenty-one days. My sister was a champ. She was beside him each and every minute of the day.
The grandkids were wonderful. My dad and mom, I know, are so proud.
So I thought I would tell a couple stories. I didn't know I spent the last four nights talking with my wife, Janet, thinking what I was going to say. And, like I usually do, I try to just kind of wing it and speak from my heart. Um So, years ago, as everyone knows, my dad was such a huge sports fan and hockey guy. And we were playing in a hockey tournament outside of Toronto.
And My dad was so proud of the fact we're going to play against better teams than little towns in this area. And on a Friday night we're going to the tournament. And my mom said to him, Walter, We're going to have this baby this weekend. And he said, it's okay, you can wait till we get back.
So Brandt was born on the Saturday. What's that? We went to this tournament. In uh Whitby, Ontario, we played against Good teams like Burlington, Oshawa, Hamilton, Toronto, Marleys, Nationals. We won the tournament.
We got in the car and we weren't sure if the car could get us back from. Oshawa to Brantford.
So we finally got back. And the next day Mom came home with Brent. People were coming by, families, friends, sisters. congratulations on the baby and every single person would say to my dad, Walter, I can't believe you missed the birth of your son.
So our next-door neighbor, Mary Rosetto, came over. She was the last person to come over. She said, Walter, I can't believe you must The Bertha Brent. And when she walked out the door, he was so mad, he stood up and he grabbed the trophy and he goes. Yes, but we got the trophy.
So As time goes on, he was so nice to all the grandchildren. Every grandchild loved him. close to each and every one of them. They understood how important he was. not only to our family, but to the culture of Canada.
He came here, his family is an immigrant. They came here because they wanted a better life. I don't think I've ever met a prouder Canadian than my dad. And all my five children are American, born in the United States. And I always tell them you should be as proud of the United States as your grandfather is of Canada.
because that's how much he loves the country.
So I always tell my kids. You know There's nothing better in life than family.
So my dad would come. Every year to our summer house, my son Ty. Trevor Tristan. They had a um uh hockey school And dad would come out. He'd go to the rink, sign autographs like he always does.
And We were playing golf one day. And He's picking up golf balls, and I'm like. We have all these golf balls. What are all these golf balls for? And Finally, the next day, Ty, Trevor, and Tristan, my friend Mike and Tom, they're in the fairway, they're in the rough, they're grabbing all these balls.
And I finally grabbed him, I said, you guys gotta stop grabbing golf balls. And they're like, what do you mean? Your dad wants them for the kids. I said, I know he wants them for the kids, but I got to sign them for the kids.
So I take my dad to the airport at 5 a.m. Sure enough, we get to the airport, and there's just two big bags. And my brother Glenn, he runs out of the car. He's going to get a cup of coffee. My dad goes, You'll sign these for the kids, right?
I'm like, oh my god.
So there it was signing for hours. But that's all he was. He just, he was a remarkable man. who loved life, loved family. We'd be a way better world if there were so many more people like my dad.
Very special. We're all hurting. This is a tough time. I'm so proud of the fact that so many people have reached out and given him such great tributes because he deserves it. He has a heart of gold.
And Just wonderful. And you've been listening to Wayne Gretzky eulogizing. His father was And by the way, though he suffered tremendous memory loss due to that brain aneurysm, The father did remember many accounts of his own personal faith. And we have a couple of quotes from you. In our family, Walter once said, We're all Christians and we all help each other.
It's do unto others as you would like done unto yourself. Walter also said in 2013 that one morning during his rehabilitation, He woke up and couldn't stop singing all. of amazing grace. And that would be all the verses. It drove my therapist nuts.
He said. For my sister and three brothers, Dad was our team captain. Wayne said. He guided, protected, and led our family every day. every step of the way.
And by the way, we would love to hear your stories about your father, your mother, and we love eulogies. I mean, not that we love that there's a death. but there inevitably is for all of us. And the eulogy is a summary of a life. written by people closest.
to the person that's departed. and so if you have a great eulogy in mind, From a family member. Or someone else, our favorite here on this show, and I think there are two: Swen Nader, a player who had played. John Wooden wrote a poem for Coach. Swan was a poet, a great ball player, but a poet.
And it was spectacular. And then my favorite, my personal favorite, was Jack Nicholas eulogizing Arnold Palmer. and telling the world what made Arnold special.
So if you have those stories, eulogies, and if you have a recording, Well, be still my heart. Send it our way. Send it to our AmericanStories.com. Wayne Gretzky eulogizes his father. And one can tell there was great love there.
And When you have a father's love and a mother's love, you're privileged. And when you don't.
Well Enough said. Wayne Gretzky's eulogy of his father here. on our American stories. That feeling when you're trying to build your credit. And it's like over and over again.
Good news! Chase Credit Journey can help you with a personalized score improvement plan provided by Experian, so when you still need that credit built. You have the guidance you need. You can even get a Chase Secure banking account with no monthly service fee if you're 17 to 24 years old. Hallelujah!
This tool is for education purposes and doesn't guarantee you'll reach your credit score goal. The score you receive uses Vantage Score 3.0 model and may not be the model used by lenders. Member FDIC. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years.
And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q.
That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter.
Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com. You've watched racing.
Now get behind the wheel. At Kaizen Autosport Racing School at VIR, professional race drivers teach you how to drive faster, safer, and with more confidence on one of America's legendary racetracks. Never driven on track? We'll get you started. Already experienced, we'll take you to the next level.
Ready to race? Earn your competition license and learn real wheel-to-wheel racecraft. Stop watching, start driving. Go to racevir.com. That's racevir.com.
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Yeah.
