Wayne Gretzky and his wife, Janet Jones, share a love of sports, five children and more than 30 years of marriage.
The couple first met on the set of Dance Fever when they were both 19 — Jones was a dancer, and Gretzky was a celebrity guest judge. But they really hit it off at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 1987, and “the rest is history,” Gretzky said in an October 2016 interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger. Jones and Gretzky married in 1988 in what CBC called a “wedding of royal proportions.”
“We both love sports. It’s wonderful that her and I watch hockey together, baseball, football and basketball. She loves going to games,” Gretzky, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, said on the This Past Weekend podcast in November 2023. “We think the same way … we were born 16 days apart. We have a lot in common.”
They like to stay busy — with Jones bing a model and actress who appeared in films such as Saturday Night Fever and The Flamingo Kid, and Gretzky being an NHL legend with all-time records in goals, assists and points. But Gretzky and Jones prioritize their family and five children over their careers. They connected on this during their first date over beers after the basketball game, Gretzky told Bensinger. “Our goals were the same in life. Family was of number one importance.”
They have five children: their first daughter, Paulina, was born in 1988, followed by sons Ty in 1990, Trevor in 1992 and Tristan in 2000. Their second daughter, Emma, was born in 2003.
So, who is Wayne Gretzky’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Janet Jones and her relationship with the former hockey player.
Jones grew up in St. Louis
Jones, a Missouri native, is a sports lover who grew up in St. Louis. She often played baseball with her neighbors as a kid, she told Chatelaine Magazine in July 2016. “Whether it’s golf, cornhole, charades, bowling, or playing gin, we’re very competitive—and we’re not afraid to show it,” Jones said.
Jones is the second youngest of seven siblings, and her father, Robert, worked in the aviation industry. Jones’ father had cancer for most of her life and died when she was 15, she told the magazine.
Jones is an actress
After her father’s death, Jones focused on a career in show business. She won the Miss Dance of America contest when she was 16, which she turned into a job on the hit ’80s show Dance Fever, she told Chatelaine.
She acted in a few other films in the ’80s, like Staying Alive, a sequel to Saturday Night Fever, The Flamingo Kid, where she played Matt Dillon’s girlfriend, A Chorus Line and Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach. In 2022, Jones appeared in American Siege alongside her son, Trevor Gretzky, and Bruce Willis.
Jones met Gretzky while she was a dancer on Dance Fever
Jones and Gretzky met on the set of Dance Fever in 1981 when they were both 19. Jones was a dancer, and Gretzky was a celebrity guest judge.
“She is a tremendous dancer, she was really good at it, and I was a horrible dancer,” Gretzky said in an October 2016 interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger. “She one time asked me what happens to my rhythm when I take my skates off.”
Jones and Gretzky started dating after bumping into each other at a basketball game in 1987
Jones and Gretzky ran into each other occasionally over the years but really connected when they bumped into each other at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 1987, Jones told Chatelaine Magazine. She was with a friend, and Gretzky was with his pal Alan Thicke, and they decided to go out for dinner after the game, the former hockey star said.
“We got along very well the first time we sat and actually chatted with each other,” Gretzky said. “Mindset was very similar and our goals were the same in life. We started off that night where we were both on the same page. It makes life that much more simple.”
The NHL star’s family also quickly took a liking to his future wife. “The first week, I said, ‘What do you think?’ And [my father] goes, ‘Oh, she’s a lifer,’ ” Gretzky said on the This Past Weekend podcast.
“We both love sports. It’s wonderful that her and I watch hockey together, baseball, football, and basketball. She loves going to games,” Gretzky said on the podcast. “We think the same way … we were born 16 days apart. We had a lot in common.”
Gretzky proposed over the phone
Jones and Gretzky married in July 1988 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral Basilica in Edmonton, which CBC called “a wedding of royal proportions.” Jones wore a high-volume gown with a tulle-embellished headpiece, PEOPLE reported. “Thousands” gathered outside the church to see the newlyweds and their 700 guests, CBC reported, with fans lining the streets as the couple drove away from the church.
“First of all, you gotta understand it’s a huge hockey city. It’s a huge sports city,” Gretzky said on In Depth with Graham Bensinger. “Part of the attraction was to see all these different celebrities and athletes. Nobody bothered me. People were genuinely nice and very appreciative.”
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra volunteered to play at the church as a favor to Gretzky, who had helped with charity events, he said in the interview. “It became a city event in that everybody was sort of involved. It is a small community, and everybody helps each other. It turned out to be a wonderful day.”
A month after the wedding, the couple moved to L.A., where Gretzky played for the Los Angeles Kings.
The couple have five children
Jones and Gretzky have five children. Their daughter Paulina Mary Jean Gretzky was born on Dec. 19, 1988, five months after the couple married, PEOPLE reported. Paulina is a model and actress who appeared in Grown Ups 2, and she is married to Dustin Johnson, a six-time World Golf Champion.
Jones and Gretzky’s first son, Ty, was born on July 9, 1990. Ty founded The Gretzky Hockey School with his dad in 2014, per the school’s website. The training camp began in Idaho and has since expanded to host camps across the United States.
Two years after Ty, the couple welcomed Trevor on Sept. 14, 1992. He is an athlete like his dad and signed with the Chicago Cubs in 2011. He also played for their minor league team and the then Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After leaving baseball in 2016, Trevor began acting, appearing in 2018’s Mile 22 with Mark Wahlberg and 2021’s Spiral with Chris Rock.
Jones and Gretzky welcomed their third son, Tristan, on Aug. 2, 2000. Tristan is a golfer and played on the Pepperdine University men’s team. He later transferred to New York University. In his official bio for the school’s golf team, Tristan said he moved to NYU for the “unlimited opportunities in the city while being able to compete in the sport I love with an amazing golf coach leading the team.” He mentioned he is interested in a career in real estate.
The couple’s youngest child, Emma, was born on March 28, 2003. She is a tennis player and played for Southern Methodist University. Like her mother, Emma also acts, appearing in 2013’s Palo Alto.
Her grandchildren call her Honey
Jones is a grandmother and her grandkids call her and Gretzky “Honey and Papa,” Paulina told Palm Beach Illustrated. “She’s not only a fantastic mom but an even greater grandmother,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.
Jones often posts about her grandkids on social media. In May 2024, she wished Ty’s daughter Vienna a happy birthday on Instagram. “Sweet sweet Vienna, we love you so very much,” Jones wrote. “You are a Angel 👼🏻 Love Honey and Papa.”
She was the “disciplinarian”
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While Gretzky may have dominated the rink, Jones laid down the law at home, Gretzky told Palm Beach Illustrated.
“Deep down, we’re a regular family,” Gretzky said. “We had dinner together at the same time every night. We taught them right from wrong, and Janet was the disciplinarian. If she’d said, ‘Wait till your dad gets home,’ they’d have laughed.”
Jones told Chatelaine Magazine she learned this from her father. “I have the same strictness he had,” she told the magazine. “That’s been my role in a big way.”
Source: People
