So, Edmonton now has a new street, but Capilano Drive is no more. I wonder if, when someone more admired than Gretzky comes along, his name will be bumped off the sign. I mean, will Edmontonians really commit to this street name? Or will they wake up and realize that, unlike more history-soaked cities around the world, they just named a major freeway after a hockey player?

How do we, as a metropolis, as a province, and as a country, choose our heroes? What is important enough to us to catapult someone into freeway-ness? What must someone epitomize in order to represent Canada? A game? I feel somewhat disconcerted that what prompts salutes, tears, and streets cordoned off is a sport.

The problem here is not Gretzky, the man. It is the people who have made him into more than a man. He is called the best hockey player in the world. But the Guinness Book of World Records is full of people who are the best. Mocking Americans and being kind and diplomatic with other cultures are just important to Canada as hockey (look up late Canadian writer Stephen Leacock), and yet I'm no freeway's namesake. The fact is that hockey is a part of Canadian identity, and Canada is the world's textbook case of national identity crisis. Other countries would likely look at the new street in Edmonton and say "They sure are desperate for a hero".

But we shouldn't be. The problem is what we consider heroic: the things that turn our heads are the things we respect. We value skill, talent, and ability over virtue, kindness, and contribution. So who is more heroic, the person who plays the best hockey, or the person who gives the most to Canada? And if giving is heroic, how much does it take? I hope it would be more heroic for me to give $1000 to charity than for a lottery winner.

The most heroic thing is putting the gain of others ahead of your own, and striving to improve the lives of others. Why did Princess Diana's death totally eclipse Mother Teresa's? Because people want to live like Diana, and do not want to live like Mother Teresa. Diana stood for everything people want to be: pretty, inoffensive, traveled, and obscenely wealthy. Mother Teresa stood for everything the world needs: sharing, compassion, and work. The same applies to Gretzky and Terry Fox.

Gretzky is not only the best hockey player ever. He also refused to fight when surrounded by violence, and was always kind and civil. By these standards, every street in this city should be named after people I know personally. How many lives did Gretzky save? How many inventions did he contribute to Canadian and global life? How many natural resources did he fight to conserve, or human rights violations did he prevent? He did inspire many, many people to strive for excellence in sport. Thanks, Gretz. But forgive children, whales, trees, exploited and colonized countries, and the poor for not joining in the celebration.

Many people deplore the astronomical paycheques in sports. How many of them attended Gretzky's snowy farewell? He didn't step in to buy the imperiled Oilers in their moment of need, and now he's advertising for McDonald's and Tylenol. Way to root for the little guys, eh?

The point is that Canadians are internationally loved for being kind, open, and helpful. Thus we should have more heroes than any other country. And yet we interrupt our day to mourn the retirement of a wealthy, Californian stickhandler. This may help explain a great many of our problems.