The U.S. men’s hockey team wanted to share its gold medal win as much with those who weren’t on the ice as those who were.
In the immediate celebration of America’s thrilling 2-1 overtime win against Canada in Sunday’s Olympic final, Auston Matthews, Zach Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk skated around the ice with the No. 13 jersey of the late Johnny Gaudreau.
And then, as Team USA posed for a photo, the players brought Gaudreau’s children Noa and Johnny Jr. onto the ice as part of the group.
Gaudreau, 31, and younger brother Matthew, 29, were killed in 2024 when they were struck by a SUV while riding bicycles. Johnny Gaudreau would have been a candidate to make this Olympic team, especially after his commitment to the U.S. program in attending the world championships in the spring before his death.
He was a beloved teammate and a gifted playmaker who was nearly a point-per-game player over his 763 career games.
Team USA hung Gaudreau’s jersey in its locker room for each game during the Olympic tournament as a tribute, a tradition it carried over from last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
