Johnny Gaudreau honored in Team USA locker room as Americans chase Olympic gold

Team USA has hung johnny gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey in its locker room in Milan, and players say they are carrying his memory into the Olympic gold-medal game against Team Canada on Sunday at 8: 10 a. m. ET.

Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 hangs over the room

Coach Mike Sullivan pointed to Gaudreau’s life and dedication as a source of motivation for the roster, saying, “He provides a lot of inspiration for all of us with how he lived his life, his dedication to the game, his family. ” The team first hung the jersey during the Four Nations Face-Off and again at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Denmark, where the U. S. won gold.

Players say they are "carrying him with us" into the Canada game

Defenseman Noah Hanifin said the room still speaks of Gaudreau in the present tense: “Johnny was close to a lot of guys in that room. You know he’d be here with us. We’ve been thinking about him and carrying him with us, ” Hanifin said ahead of the matchup with Team Canada on Sunday at 8: 10 a. m. ET. Forward Brock Nelson added, “Johnny’s an incredible player and person, ” noting Gaudreau’s smile and the presence he brought to teammates.

Family statement and legacy on the international stage

The Gaudreau family posted a message on social media on Feb. 6 saying that representing the U. S. at the Olympics was one of Johnny’s greatest dreams and that he had been training harder than ever in the final summer to earn a spot. The family wrote that, while it breaks their hearts that he won’t be there to live out that dream, they know he will be “so very present with Team USA and all of his close friends competing throughout these games. ”

Gaudreau, who died Aug. 29, 2024, alongside his brother Matthew when they were struck while bicycling in New Jersey, represented the United States in multiple international events. He led the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship with seven goals and helped the U. S. win bronze at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark. Teammates pointed to those tournament performances as part of the reason he was considered a likely Olympic selection.

On the professional level, Gaudreau had 742 points — 242 goals and 500 assists — in 763 NHL games for the Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2014-24. From the start of the 2014-15 season through 2023-24, he ranked second among U. S. -born players in points behind Patrick Kane, who had 791 points (293 goals, 498 assists) in 715 games.

The deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau in August 2024 led to criminal charges; an alleged drunk driver has been charged with two counts of death by auto in the collision that killed them on Aug. 29, 2024.

Teammates who played with Gaudreau said his locker-room presence carries weight on the ice. Alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk said, “We know he’s here with us, cheering us on and rooting for us, ” and noted that Gaudreau has “his own area in the locker room. ” Zach Werenski, who played with Gaudreau on the Columbus Blue Jackets and alongside him at the 2024 men’s World Championship, said, “It’s super special to see his jersey hanging, and we’re playing for him and trying to make him proud. ”

Team USA’s next confirmed milestone is the gold-medal game against Team Canada on Sunday at 8: 10 a. m. ET, when the Americans will take the ice in Milan with johnny gaudreau’s jersey visible above their bench and players saying they will play with him in mind.