Johnny Gaudreau Honored as Team USA Brings His Children Onto Ice After Overtime Gold
Team USA capped a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada with a deliberate tribute to johnny gaudreau, parading his No. 13 jersey around the Santagiulia Arena and bringing his two young children onto the ice during the postgame ceremonies. The moment tied the Olympic gold — the nation’s first in men’s hockey in 46 years — to a season of remembrance for the late forward and his brother.
Santagiulia Arena: 2-1 overtime win over Canada
The United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime at Santagiulia Arena, prevailing despite being outshot substantially. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stood out with a strong performance in net as Canada squandered several chances, including a missed, wide-open opportunity by Nathan MacKinnon in the closing minutes.
Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey paraded by Matthews, Tkachuk and Werenski
After the final horn, Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Werenski carried Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey onto the ice and paraded it in front of the crowd. Matthews, the U. S. captain, said the team felt the late forward was with them in spirit throughout the tournament. The team had deliberately placed gaudreau’s jersey around its program several times before: it was hung in the locker room at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February and again at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, where the Americans won gold.
Gaudreau family and children on ice: Noa and Johnny Jr.
Players made space for the family after the victory. Dylan Larkin sat with Johnny Gaudreau’s son, Johnny Jr., who turned 2 on the day of the final, while Zach Werenski held the couple’s daughter, Noa, who is 3 years old. Werenski and Larkin had planned to get the family into the team photo if the U. S. won and adjusted to gate constraints by bringing the children onto the ice; Werenski noted it was special to see family members Guy and Jane in the stands. The Gaudreau family was in Milan to watch the game.
Tribute and emotion inside the locker room
Brady Tkachuk said the team missed Johnny and his brother Matthew “so dearly, ” and that the tribute was meant to support the Gaudreau family. Werenski described the moment as meaningful — saying it was something Johnny would have attended and that the players wanted to make him proud. Brock Faber said seeing the children on the ice and the jersey on display underscored Johnny’s lasting impact on USA Hockey; he added that Johnny’s jersey would remain hung in the locker room.
Career and international achievements: 743 NHL points, junior gold and World Championship bronze
Johnny Gaudreau amassed 743 points (243 goals, 500 assists) in 763 NHL games between 2014 and 2024, playing for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets. From 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 for the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. Internationally, Gaudreau led the tournament with seven goals when the United States won gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in Russia and helped the U. S. secure bronze at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark. In Milan, his jersey hung above a banner displaying his No. 13 and his brother Matthew’s No. 21 from Boston College.
Circumstances of death and legal action
Johnny and his brother Matthew died on August 29, 2024. The brothers 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; other accounts describe the crash occurring after their sister’s rehearsal dinner earlier in August 2024. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29. An alleged drunk driver has been charged with two counts of death by auto.
What makes this notable is how the team’s on-ice ceremony converted personal loss into a shared moment of national triumph: the jersey parade and the decision to bring Noa and Johnny Jr. onto the ice connected individual legacy with the team’s first Olympic men’s hockey gold in 46 years, and players repeatedly framed their win as something achieved for the Gaudreau family and the memory of the brothers.
The scene in Milan — the carried No. 13, the children on laps, the banner above the locker room — closed a sequence of tributes that stretched from the 4 Nations Face-Off to the 2025 World Championship, and it left the U. S. roster publicly pledging that Gaudreau’s influence will remain part of the program. The celebrated forward, known widely as “Johnny Hockey, ” would have been 32.
