Johnny Gaudreau: Team USA’s Olympic Gold Became a Tribute That Put His Family and Teammates Front and Center

When Team USA lifted Olympic gold in Milan, the victory was also a focal point for grief and remembrance — and Johnny Gaudreau's name was at the center. Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 was carried and paraded on the ice, his children were brought out during the medal‑ceremony moments, and teammates repeatedly framed the win as for his family and memory. That emotional weight landed first on the Gaudreau family and the players who counted him as one of their own.

Johnny Gaudreau’s presence: teammates, family and an emotional current

Here’s the part that matters: three players — Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Werenski and Auston Matthews — carried Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey onto the ice after the United States beat Team Canada 2-1 in overtime at Santagiulia Arena at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The Gaudreau family attended the game, and teammates made a point of including the brothers’ young children in a postgame photograph and on‑ice moment, bringing the private loss into the public spotlight of an Olympic celebration.

How the scene unfolded in Milan

The Americans defeated Team Canada 2-1 in overtime at Santagiulia Arena. After the win, Werenski, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk paraded Johnny’s Team USA jersey around the ice. Werenski and Dylan Larkin then found Johnny and Meredith Gaudreau’s children — Noa and Johnny Jr. — and brought them onto the ice for a team picture; Dylan Larkin held Johnny Jr., Werenski held Noa, and Larkin and Matthew Tkachuk held Gaudreau’s jersey.

What led to the tribute being so prominent

Teammates had been keeping Johnny’s memory visible: his jersey was hung in the locker room at the 4 Nations Face‑Off in February and at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, where the United States also won gold. Players described feeling his presence through multiple events and settings, and those feelings shaped the decision to stage the on‑ice family photo if the team won.

Reactions and the language teammates used

Team captains and players spoke about Gaudreau’s impact. Auston Matthews, the United States' captain, said the late forward was with the team “in spirit the whole tournament. ” Zach Werenski called the moment “something John would have been at” and said bringing his kids onto the ice and seeing the family support “meant everything. ” Brady Tkachuk said the team missed Johnny and his brother, Matty, and that the tribute was a way to show support to the Gaudreau family. Brock Faber’s eyes welled up seeing the children on the ice and said Johnny’s jersey will always hang in the locker room and his legacy will live on.

• Implication: The medal and on‑ice photo turned a team achievement into a public act of familial support, reinforcing an ongoing roster tradition of honoring his jersey.
• Who is directly affected: the Gaudreau family — including Noa and Johnny Jr. — and teammates who had close connections with Johnny.
• Signal to watch for: whether the team continues to hang his jersey and include family moments at major tournaments as a lasting ritual.
• Emotional dimension: the win amplified attention on the brothers’ absence at a high‑profile moment, making the team’s tribute unavoidable.

It’s easy to overlook, but the visible inclusion of the children — Noa, described in the provided context as 3 years old, and Johnny Jr., who turned 2 on the day of the final — made the tribute personal rather than symbolic.

Background details tied to Gaudreau’s career and the brothers’ deaths

Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew died on August 29, 2024, when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey, the night before they were to attend their sister Katie’s wedding. An alleged drunk driver has been charged with two counts of death by auto. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29. The wider hockey community had honored Johnny earlier by hanging his jersey at tournaments; in Milan his jersey also hung above a banner displaying Johnny’s No. 13 and Matthew’s No. 21 from Boston College.

Johnny had represented his country multiple times: he led the tournament with seven goals when the United States won gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in Russia, and he helped the U. S. win bronze at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark. Over his NHL career from 2014–24 he recorded 743 points (243 goals, 500 assists) in 763 games for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets. From 2014‑15 through 2023‑24 he ranked second in points among U. S. ‑born players to Patrick Kane, who had 791 points (293 goals, 498 assists) in 715 games for Chicago, New York and Detroit. “Johnny Hockey” would have been 32 on the day noted in the context.

Game details and key moments that shaped the final

The United States won in overtime despite being outshot dramatically. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was described as valiant in net. Canada had multiple missed chances in the closing minutes, including one in which Nathan MacKinnon missed an open cage late in regulation; those misses helped preserve the path to overtime and the eventual American victory.

The real question now is how the team’s public tributes — the hung jersey, the on‑ice family photo and the parade of No. 13 — will be remembered alongside the gold itself. Recent coverage in the provided context shows teammates treating the medal as a way to honor both Johnny and Matthew and to support their family during a moment of triumph.

Timeline rewind: Aug. 29, 2024 — Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau died after being struck by a car in Salem County, New Jersey. 2013 — Johnny led the U. S. with seven goals as the team won gold at the World Junior Championship in Russia. 2018 — he helped the U. S. win bronze at the World Championship in Denmark. 2014–24 — his NHL career totals are given above. The Olympic gold and the on‑ice family photo occurred at Milano Cortina 2026 at Santagiulia Arena.