Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: The event gained media attention weeks prior when a photo of Wayne Gretzky , then head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes , wearing a shirt promoting the event surfaced in the Swedish newspaper Expressen .
Simplified: The event became more widely known weeks prior when a photo of Wayne Gretzky wearing a shirt showing the event was seen in the Swedish newspaper Expressen .