THE GRETZKY KID
TYLER VRIESEMA TAKES UP THE GREAT ONE’S MANTEL STORY BY MICHAEL SEGUIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIE VRIESEMA
THE TRAJECTORY of Wayne Gretzky’s life changed forever when he met his hero, Tim Horton, in Brantford, 1968. Tim Horton signed an autograph for the sevenyear-old hockey player, who would later go on to become the Great One. This encounter was celebrated in a recent Tim Hortons commercial: “The Autograph.” The ad features Wayne Gretzky himself, his father Walter and a fully recreated Tim Hortons restaurant from the 1960s. Two child actors portray Gretzky at different stages of his early life, one of which is Tyler Vriesema, a twelve-year-old Colchester North Public School student. Julie Vriesema, Tyler’s mother, was browsing Facebook one day when she happened across the casting call. “I saw a casting call on Facebook looking for a slim, blonde twelve-year-old that plays rep-level hockey,” Julie recalls. “I thought, ‘Oh, that fits Ty.’” In some ways, Tyler Vriesema seems almost destined to take up the Great One’s mantle. Tyler lives on a farm out in Essex County with his parents, Julie and Chuck, and his three older siblings, Mike, Carly and Charesse. Their property features a pond out back, where Tyler plays hockey all winter long—similar to the backyard rink where Gretzky honed his skills. Cementing the connection, Tyler is also number 99 on his baseball team. Julie sent in some photos and video of Tyler. The studio’s reply was instant. The next day, Tyler and his parents were in Toronto, competing with 59 other boys for the role. It turned out to be the studio’s second largest casting call of all time. The director later told Julie that over 50,000 boys applied for the role.
Twelve-year-old Tyler Vriesema is seen filming the recent Tim Hortons commercial, "The Autograph" where he played a young Wayne Gretzky. Left: Tyler and his Alaskan Malamute, Togo.
