Walter Gretzky mourned in Brantford, Ont., city he helped put on the map

BRANTFORD, Ont. – A small memorial has sprung up for Walter Gretzky outside the arena that bears his son’s name in Brantford, Ont.

The elder Gretzky died Thursday at the age of 82.

Two hockey sticks – one full-sized, one miniature – and a Canadian flag adorn the sign marking off Walter Gretzky’s parking spot outside the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre.

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“Reserved for Walter Gretzky, Lord Mayor of Brantford,” the sign reads.

READ MORE: Walter Gretzky, father of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, dies at 82

Mark Ritter, a former sports journalist who left the full-sized hockey stick leaning up against the sign, says the famous hockey dad was a community fixture.

He says he lived in Brantford for six years but has since moved away, and drove about an hour to pay tribute to Gretzky Friday morning.