Johnny Gaudreau tribute drives Team USA’s Olympic gold — family on ice and a locker-room legacy

What landed first was emotional: teammates and family felt the win as a collective dedication, with johnny gaudreau’s jersey paraded on the ice and his children brought into the celebration. That immediate human impact reframed Team USA’s gold at Milano Cortina 2026 as more than a title; it became a continuing gesture toward a player and a family still mourning a public loss.

How the victory resonated with family and teammates

Here's the part that matters: the win came with deliberate gestures meant to honor a player who remained part of the room. Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Werenski carried Johnny’s No. 13 jersey onto the ice at Santagiulia Arena after the United States beat Canada 2-1 in overtime. The Gaudreau family attended the game, and teammates arranged to have Johnny’s children join the team on the ice for the postgame photo—Dylan Larkin held Johnny Jr. and Werenski held Noa while Larkin and Matthew Tkachuk held Johnny’s jersey.

Johnny Gaudreau’s presence threaded through the tournament and the team’s rituals

Players described feeling him on and off the ice. Teammates had already hung his jersey 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. In Milan the jersey was displayed above a banner showing Johnny’s No. 13 and brother Matthew’s No. 21 from Boston College. Forward Brady Tkachuk said they wanted to show the Gaudreau family support and that Johnny would have been on the Olympic roster; Werenski summed up the moment as meaningful and something Johnny “would have been at. ”

• Three teammates—Matthews, Tkachuk and Werenski—paraded the jersey on the ice immediately after the 2-1 overtime win.
• Teammates planned a family photo; gate access meant they focused on getting Johnny’s young children onto the ice.
• During the team picture, Dylan Larkin held Johnny Jr. and Werenski held Noa; Larkin and Matthew Tkachuk held Johnny’s jersey.
• Players described a sustained sense of Johnny’s presence at Columbus, World Championships and the Olympics.

Game details and moments that defined the final

The United States secured gold with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada despite being outshot dramatically. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was described as valiant in net while Canada squandered several chances; Nathan MacKinnon missed a wide-open cage late in regulation. The win also carried historical weight for the program: it marked the nation’s first men’s Olympic hockey gold in 46 years.

Personal losses, legal aftermath and the family at the arena

Johnny and his brother Matthew died on Aug. 29, 2024, the night before they were to attend the wedding of their sister Katie. They were struck by a car while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey; another account in the record says they were struck while riding home after their sister’s rehearsal dinner in August 2024. An alleged drunk driver has been charged with two counts of death by auto. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29. At the game in Milan, teammates and family members—including parents Guy and Jane, and Meredith Gaudreau—were present as the team carried out its tribute. Werenski and Larkin had devised the plan to get the family on the ice if the U. S. won gold; gate issues meant they focused on bringing the children forward instead. Johnny’s daughter Noa is 3 and his son Johnny Jr. turned 2 on the day of the final.

Career milestones and the locker-room memorial

Johnny’s on-ice resume in the context provided: he led a tournament with seven goals when the United States won gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in Russia and helped the U. S. win bronze at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark. Across his professional career from 2014-24 he recorded 743 points (243 goals, 500 assists) in 763 NHL 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 the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. "Johnny Hockey" would have been 32 today.

It’s easy to overlook, but several players reacted visibly: Brock Faber had tears seeing Johnny’s kids on the ice and described the jersey as a permanent fixture in the locker room; teammates said the moment put the victory in perspective as a collective dedication rather than a lone accomplishment.

The real question now is how Team USA and the Gaudreau family carry forward these rituals—jerseys in the locker room and children at podium moments—into future events. The bigger signal here is that the team has institutionalized remembrance across tournaments, from the 4 Nations Face-Off to world championships and now the Olympics, which will shape how teammates and fans mark milestones going forward.