Wayne Gretzky On Olympic Opening Ceremony Snafu: ‘We Were Nervous’

As the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics drew to a close on Friday night, millions worldwide watched as NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, NBA star Steve Nash, speedskater Catriona Le May Doan and skier Nancy Greene waited to light the four pillars of the Olympic cauldron, bringing a spectacular end to an eye-popping ceremony.

Just one problem… a technical glitch had only three of the four pillars rising as expected; leaving a global audience – and the four torchbearers – wondering what exactly was happening.

And as Gretzky revealed in an interview with the “Today” show’s Matt Lauer on Monday morning, he wasn’t sure whether or not it was all part of the act.

“I didn’t know if this was a surprise because we had read so much about who was going to be involved, I thought maybe they didn’t tell us something and there was another surprise!” the Canadian hockey legend told Lauer.

But once Gretzky and his torch-bearing counterparts heard producers scrambling via their earpieces, they realized it wasn’t part of the show.

“We were nervous,” he admitted. “We were sitting there, we had earpieces in and they were talking to us, telling us to relax and stay calm. Then we heard the producer, David Atkins, say, ‘Can we hand crank it and get it up?’ That’s when we knew there was an issue.”

As always, much had been made about who would light the Olympic cauldron, with many suggesting it would be the Canadian-born NHL legend. But when it came to the identities of the other final torchbearers, even Gretzky was kept in the dark until the days just before the ceremony.

“We actually did dress rehearsal the first night at like 1 in the morning. We walked into the room and the four of us didn’t know who all was involved. And we were like, ‘Wow, you’re here. And you’re here,’” Gretzky added. “The four of us were so ecstatic.”

A few days before the Opening Ceremonies, Lauer spoke to Gretzky and asked him if he’d be one of the individuals given the honor to light the cauldron. However, Gretzky played coy – and for good reason.

“The funny thing was, they called us on October 1 [asking us to participate] and the first thing they said was, ‘If you tell anybody, you’re out!’” Gretzky said. “So obviously, all four of us kept it quiet because it was such an honor to be asked.”