Johnny Gaudreau’s children brought onto ice after Team USA’s sudden‑death win over Canada
Johnny Gaudreau was honored on the ice after Team USA beat Canada 2-1 in sudden death in the men’s hockey final at Milano Santagiulia, with his two eldest children, Noa and Johnny Jr., escorted onto the rink to hold his No. 13 jersey for a team photo.
Johnny Gaudreau’s children join Team USA celebration
Moments after the 2-1 sudden‑death victory — regulation play had finished tied 1-1 — teammates including Auston Matthews, Zach Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk carried Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey onto the ice, and Noa and Johnny Jr. were brought out to hold the jersey for the Team USA group photo.
Locker-room tributes at Milano Santagiulia arena
In the Milano Santagiulia arena locker room, Johnny’s No. 13 was displayed on a Team USA jersey and Matthew’s No. 21 was hung on a wall for players to remember the fallen brothers, a gesture made before the men’s final that the family attended.
Family present in Milan and the memorial thread
Johnny’s widow, Meredith Gaudreau, watched from the stands; she had announced at the brothers’ memorial service in September 2024 that she was pregnant with their third child, a boy named Carter Michael. The Gaudreau parents, Guy and Jane, were also in Milan with Meredith and the couple’s two oldest children, Noa and Johnny, present for the medal‑round games.
How Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau died and their careers
The brothers were killed on Aug. 29, 2024, when an alleged drunk driver hit them while they were riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on the eve of their sister’s wedding; Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were pronounced dead at the scene. Johnny, known as “Johnny Hockey, ” played 11 seasons in the NHL and was about to start his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets after nine seasons with the Calgary Flames. Matthew played in the minor leagues, including for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The crash happened a few weeks before the Blue Jackets opened training camp for the 2024‑25 season.
Teammates’ memories, past tributes and the Olympic roster note
Guy Gaudreau said USA Hockey had told the family that Johnny was projected to be on the roster for this year’s games, adding, “He wanted to be on this team. And it would've been nice if he'd been here. ” Jane Gaudreau said their daughters urged them to attend: “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. ’” Jane added, “It just means so much to our family, and we're so excited to remember what our boys meant to hockey. ”
Wagering stories, past celebrations and what might be repeated
Former teammates recalled Gaudreau’s fondness for friendly bets — anything featuring the United States vs. Canada drew extra attention. Sean Monahan said, “I’d be getting a text whenever it would be. It’d be mid‑summer, and he’d be asking me if I wanted to take Canada in soccer, and the U. S. would be a heavy favorite. We’d go at it a decent amount. It was all for fun, obviously, but that’s something I definitely miss. ”
From Stockholm 2025 to Milano Cortina 2026
Zach Werenski said, “It gives me chills. He’s a guy that was USA Hockey. He went to all the world championships. He would’ve been at the 4 Nations (Face‑Off). He would’ve been on this team. He really embraced what it meant to be a USA Hockey player, and every time I see that, I realize the importance of it, and I don’t take moments like this for granted. ” Werenski previously honored Gaudreau in May 2025 after the U. S. men’s world championship win in Stockholm, Sweden, when, after Tage Thompson scored the overtime winner, Werenski jogged back to the locker room to grab Gaudreau’s jersey, which had been draped over the championship trophy in the postgame celebration. Johnny’s No. 13 also hangs in the Blue Jackets’ locker room each game, a No. 13 banner flies at Nationwide Arena, and a postgame player‑of‑the‑game donkey hat award nods to his sense of humor.
What’s next
USA Hockey has honored Gaudreau with its national teams since the tragedy, and Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 was set to hang again in the U. S. locker room ahead of the Feb. 22 rivalry showdown with Canada for the gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Team USA had brought members of the Gaudreau family in ahead of the Feb. 20 semifinal victory over Slovakia, and with the family in Milan the team’s postgame tributes are likely to remain a visible part of the medal celebrations.
