==Polish background== 

 1) On Walter Gretzky's page, the family's Polish background is referenced. i.e. Walter mentions it. 

 2) 'Gretzky' appears to be a Russian or Belarusian rendering of the Polish surname Grecki. See Maksymilian Grecki for example. 

 3) Landowners in Western Belarus tended to be Polish or at least think of themselves as Polish.