Team U.S.A. won a smashing victory at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy, defeating Canada’s hockey team for the gold medal. As the Americans skated on the ice in victory, they paid tribute to fallen NHL great Johnny Gaudreau.
As the Americans celebrated their third-ever hockey gold, they brought out a Team U.S.A. jersey with Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau’s name on it. As the fans cheered in the stands at the Games, team captain Auston Matthews, Zach Werenski, and Matthew Tkachuk skated a victory lap around the ice, hoisting Gaudreau’s jersey.
The New Jersey-born Gaudreau, who also played in Canada for the Calgary Flames when he joined the NHL, was killed along with his brother, Matthew, when a drunk driver ran them down as they rode bicycles on August 29, 2024, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.
“It means everything — we all know he should be here with us,” Detroit Red Wings captain and Team USA forward Dylan Larkin told ESPN. “He should be with us. We love him, and I like that we continue to think about him, and I wouldn’t imagine it any other way.”
Team U.S.A. also hung Johnny’s jersey in its own locker during the events to serve as an inspiration for the players throughout the Olympic tournament.
“It’s great having them here, and it’s super special,” said U.S. Olympic hockey player Zach Werenski. “We’re happy that we made it to the gold-medal game so they can watch that and be a part of it. It’s on us to make them proud.”
Werenski was also Gaudreau’s teammate on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Gaudreau family was also in attendance at the Games to cheer on Team U.S.A. this year.
The fallen player’s father, Guy Gaudreau, was touched by the tribute.
“He wanted to be on this team,” the elder Gaudreau said during the third period of the U.S. semifinal win Friday night. “And it would’ve been nice if he’d been here.”
Team U.S.A. also honored Johnny’s brother, Matthew, who was also an up-and-coming hockey player in his own right.
“Our two daughters, for 24 hours, they just kept at us: ‘You have to go. The boys would want you to do this. This would mean so much to John,” Johnny’s mother, Jane, said. “It just means so much to our family, and we’re so excited to remember what our boys meant to hockey.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: Facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston, or at X/Twitter @WTHuston
