Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky are not relatives and there is no well-documented business partnership between them. Their verified public connection comes mainly through the Edmonton Oilers and Rogers Place, including a 2017 Garth Brooks concert milestone and a 2019 NHL game where Brooks and Gretzky were seated together.
The connection is easy to misunderstand because both men are major figures in North American popular culture. Brooks is one of country music’s most successful performers, while Gretzky built one of the most accomplished careers in professional hockey history. Reliable reporting shows that their paths have crossed publicly more than once, but available evidence does not establish a deeper professional partnership or family relationship.
What Is the Connection Between Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky?
The clearest documented relationship between Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky involves Edmonton, the Oilers organization and live entertainment at Rogers Place.
There are three particularly well-documented moments:
| Date | Event | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| February 2017 | Brooks performed nine concerts at Rogers Place in Edmonton | Gretzky attended the opening concert while working with Oilers Entertainment Group |
| February 24, 2017 | Brooks was honored for selling the five-millionth ticket of his tour | Gretzky appeared in a special congratulatory video message |
| February 25, 2019 | Edmonton Oilers played the Nashville Predators | Brooks and Gretzky were reported sitting beside each other in a suite |
These events show a genuine public association. They do not, however, prove that the two men are close personal friends outside those appearances.
Wayne Gretzky Attended Garth Brooks’ 2017 Edmonton Concert
An important part of the connection began during Brooks’ major run of concerts at Rogers Place in Edmonton in February 2017.
Sportsnet reported that Gretzky attended the first of Brooks’ nine Rogers Place concerts, where he was hosting clients from Toronto as part of his responsibilities with Oilers Entertainment Group. Gretzky was serving at the time as a partner and vice-chairman of OEG, an organization connected not only to the Edmonton Oilers but also to Rogers Place and the surrounding entertainment district.
The appearance therefore had a business component for Gretzky. He was representing the Oilers organization and helping promote its broader sports and entertainment operations rather than simply appearing as an anonymous concertgoer.
The Sportsnet report on Gretzky’s Oilers Entertainment Group role specifically noted his presence at the Brooks concert as an example of the varied responsibilities attached to his position.
For Brooks, the Edmonton engagement became one of the most notable stops on his tour.
Gretzky Congratulated Brooks on His Five-Millionth Tour Ticket
The strongest direct connection came later during the same Edmonton concert run.
On February 24, 2017, Brooks was honored at Rogers Place after his tour with Trisha Yearwood reached its five-millionth ticket sold. Rogers Place said the milestone came after only 60 cities on that tour, compared with the 100 cities it took Brooks’ 1996-1998 tour to reach the same figure.
Brooks was also recognized for playing nine sold-out concerts at the Edmonton venue.
During the presentation, a commemorative banner was raised in the Rogers Place rafters. Then a special recorded message from Wayne Gretzky was shown on the arena’s video screen congratulating Brooks and Yearwood. Rogers Place’s account says the crowd responded enthusiastically while Brooks watched Gretzky’s message.
The full milestone is documented by Rogers Place’s account of Garth Brooks’ five-millionth ticket celebration.
This was significant because Gretzky’s identity is deeply connected with Edmonton. He won four Stanley Cups with the Oilers and became the defining player of the franchise’s championship era. Having Gretzky participate in Brooks’ Rogers Place celebration connected a major entertainment achievement with Edmonton’s hockey history.
Was Garth Brooks’ Banner the Same as Wayne Gretzky’s?
No. The Brooks banner should not be confused with a retired hockey number or a traditional player-honoring banner.
Brooks’ banner commemorated his nine sold-out Rogers Place concerts and the tour’s five-million-ticket milestone. Global News reported at the time that Brooks would join figures such as Gretzky and Mark Messier in having a banner displayed inside the arena, but the reasons for the honors were different.
Gretzky’s significance to the Edmonton Oilers comes from his hockey career. Brooks’ banner recognized an extraordinary live-entertainment achievement at the venue.
That distinction matters because descriptions suggesting Brooks received the same type of hockey honor as Gretzky would be misleading.
Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky Were Seen Together at a 2019 NHL Game
Their public association did not end with the 2017 concerts.
On February 25, 2019, the Nashville Predators hosted the Edmonton Oilers at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. An Associated Press game report published by ESPN specifically noted that Garth Brooks was sitting in a box beside Wayne Gretzky.
The detail became particularly noticeable during the third period. When Brooks’ famous song “Friends in Low Places” began playing inside the arena, Brooks stood up while sitting next to Gretzky.
The Associated Press game recap published by ESPN provides one of the clearest pieces of evidence that the two celebrities have appeared together socially at a major sporting event.
It also makes sense geographically. Brooks has strong ties to Tennessee through his country music career, while Gretzky remains closely associated with the Oilers, one of the teams playing that night.
Also Read: Alberto Bailleres and Wayne Gretzky
Are Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky Friends?
They clearly know each other well enough to have shared public moments, but reliable public sources do not establish the exact nature or closeness of their private relationship.
Calling them confirmed “best friends” or describing a long-standing intimate friendship would go beyond the available evidence. What can be verified is that Gretzky attended a Brooks concert, recorded a congratulatory message for him and later sat beside him at an NHL game.
That suggests mutual familiarity and respect. Anything more specific should be treated cautiously unless Brooks or Gretzky publicly describes their relationship in greater detail.
Who Is Garth Brooks?
Troyal Garth Brooks was born on February 7, 1962, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He became one of the central figures in country’s enormous commercial expansion during the 1990s.
The Country Music Hall of Fame credits Brooks with helping change both the popularity and public perception of country music. His self-titled debut album arrived in 1989, followed by major releases including No Fences, Ropin’ the Wind, The Chase, In Pieces and Sevens. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
Brooks’ own current biography states that he has achieved more than 200 million RIAA-certified album sales and received ten Diamond Awards for albums certified at more than 10 million units. It also identifies him as a seven-time CMA Entertainer of the Year recipient.
Readers looking for his current career credentials can consult the official Garth Brooks biography.
The Recording Academy lists Brooks with two Grammy wins and 14 nominations.
Who Is Wayne Gretzky?
Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961, in Brantford, Ontario. He played 20 NHL seasons for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers before retiring in 1999.
His NHL regular-season totals include:
- 1,487 games
- 894 goals
- 1,963 assists
- 2,857 points
Gretzky remains the NHL’s career leader in assists and total points. His 894-goal career record, however, is no longer the NHL record. Alex Ovechkin scored his 895th goal on April 6, 2025, passing Gretzky’s mark.
Gretzky also won four Stanley Cup championships with Edmonton, nine Hart Trophies as NHL MVP and ten Art Ross Trophies as the league’s leading scorer.
The NHL profile of Wayne Gretzky’s career and achievements provides detailed historical statistics and honors.
Why Edmonton Connects Brooks and Gretzky
Edmonton is the most important link between the two men.
For Gretzky, Edmonton represents the defining years of his hockey career. It was with the Oilers that he became an international superstar and won four Stanley Cups during the 1980s.
For Brooks, Edmonton became the site of an exceptional live-entertainment run. Rogers Place reported that he performed nine sold-out shows in six days, creating a major event for the relatively new arena.
Gretzky’s OEG role placed him inside the business and promotional ecosystem surrounding those concerts. His attendance and congratulatory message therefore represented more than a random celebrity crossover. They reflected the way Rogers Place was being marketed as both a major hockey arena and an international entertainment venue.
The Rogers Place review of Brooks’ Edmonton concert run documents the scale of those performances.
Do Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky Have a Business Partnership?
There is no reliable public evidence of a direct business partnership between Brooks and Gretzky.
The 2017 connection was partly business-related because Gretzky was representing Oilers Entertainment Group while Brooks was performing at Rogers Place. That does not mean the two men jointly owned a company, entered an investment partnership or managed the concert tour together.
Similarly, there is no credible evidence that Gretzky has a financial stake in Brooks’ music career or that Brooks has an ownership role in Gretzky’s hockey-related ventures.
Claims suggesting otherwise would need independent documentation such as corporate filings, official announcements or statements from the men themselves.
Are Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky Related?
No documented family relationship connects Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky.
Brooks was born into the Brooks family in Oklahoma, while Gretzky was born to Walter and Phyllis Gretzky in Ontario, Canada. Their appearances together are connected to entertainment and hockey rather than family.
Searches combining their names may create confusion because public figures who repeatedly appear at the same events are sometimes incorrectly described online as relatives, longtime partners or close friends.
Why Are Their Names Sometimes Compared?
Brooks and Gretzky are frequently used as reference points for exceptional success in their respective professions.
Gretzky’s career statistics made his name shorthand for elite hockey achievement. Brooks’ record sales, arena tours and awards have similarly made him one of the most recognizable figures in country music.
Country singer Brett Kissel, for example, once described Brooks as the “Wayne Gretzky of country music” while discussing Brooks’ live performances. That kind of comparison is metaphorical. It refers to Brooks’ stature within country music, not to any formal relationship with Gretzky.
What the Evidence Actually Shows
The public record supports a straightforward interpretation of the Garth Brooks-Wayne Gretzky connection.
Gretzky attended Brooks’ first show during his nine-concert Edmonton run in 2017 as part of his Oilers Entertainment Group activities. Later that week, Gretzky recorded a congratulatory message shown when Brooks was honored for reaching five million tour tickets and selling out nine Rogers Place concerts.
Two years later, Brooks and Gretzky were photographed and reported together in a suite during an Oilers-Predators NHL game in Nashville.
Those events establish a real public association. They do not establish a family connection, formal business partnership or extensively documented close friendship.
FAQ
Are Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky friends?
They appear to know each other and have shared several public moments, but neither man’s reliable public biography clearly defines the relationship as a close friendship. It is safest to describe them as public figures with a documented social and professional association.
Did Wayne Gretzky attend a Garth Brooks concert?
Yes. Sportsnet reported that Gretzky attended the first of Brooks’ nine concerts at Rogers Place in Edmonton in February 2017 while hosting clients connected with Oilers Entertainment Group.
Did Wayne Gretzky send Garth Brooks a video message?
Yes. Gretzky recorded a congratulatory video that was shown during Brooks’ February 2017 Rogers Place celebration marking his tour’s five-millionth ticket and nine sold-out Edmonton concerts.
Were Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky seen together at a hockey game?
Yes. An Associated Press report from February 25, 2019, stated that Brooks was sitting beside Gretzky during an Edmonton Oilers game against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
Are Garth Brooks and Wayne Gretzky related?
No verified family relationship between them has been documented. Their known connection comes through public sports and entertainment events.
Did Garth Brooks receive the same kind of banner as Wayne Gretzky?
No. Brooks’ Rogers Place banner commemorated nine sold-out concerts and a major touring milestone. Gretzky’s arena honors are connected to his historic hockey career with the Edmonton Oilers.
Also Read: Rodolphe Saade and Wayne Gretzky
