Johnny Gaudreau — johnny gaudreau honored as Team USA wins Olympic gold
johnny gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey was carried onto the ice in Milan after Team USA beat Team Canada 2-1 in overtime to win gold at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Werenski and Auston Matthews led the tribute at Santagiulia Arena as the Americans celebrated the title.
Jersey carried onto the ice
After the final buzzer, Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Werenski and Auston Matthews brought Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey onto the ice as part of the postgame celebration. Team USA captain Auston Matthews said the group was thinking of Gaudreau and that “he was with us here in spirit the whole tournament, ” a line teammates echoed throughout the night.
Johnny Gaudreau remembered on ice
The Gaudreau family attended the game and joined the team picture afterward. Dylan Larkin held Gaudreau’s son, Johnny Jr., while Werenski held his daughter, Noa. Larkin and Matthew Tkachuk held Gaudreau’s jersey for the photograph. Werenski said, “It meant everything, ” and added that seeing the family and the kids on the ice was a special moment and a motivation: they had talked about playing for him and making him proud.
Milano final and key moments
The United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime at Santagiulia Arena, capturing the men’s hockey gold. The win marked the United States’ first men’s Olympic hockey gold in 46 years. The Americans were outshot dramatically, and Connor Hellebuyck was described as valiant in net. Canada squandered several chances late, including a wide-open miss by Nathan MacKinnon in the waning minutes.
How the team honored him
Players paraded Gaudreau’s Team USA jersey around the ice after the victory. The Americans have a history of honoring Gaudreau: his jersey was hung in their locker room at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February and at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, where the United States won gold. In Milan, Johnny’s jersey hung above a banner displaying Johnny’s No. 13 and Matthew’s No. 21 from Boston College.
Loss, family and memories
Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died on Aug. 29, 2024. Article accounts state the brothers were riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey, and were struck by a car the night before they were to attend the wedding of their sister, Katie. Another account in the coverage says they were struck while riding their bicycles 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.
Teammates and friends emphasized how much the brothers are missed. Forward Brady Tkachuk said, “We miss him and Matty so dearly, ” and added that Johnny would have been on the Olympic team and had touched everybody on the ice; the tribute was intended to show support to the Gaudreau family. Dylan Larkin reflected that “Johnny and Matty should be here” and called that loss the biggest the group has gone through, saying that having Johnny Jr. and Noa on the ice felt right and that “Johnny’s family first. ”
Career highlights and legacy
Johnny represented the United States multiple times. He led the tournament with seven goals when the U. S. 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 with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets from 2014-24, he totaled 743 points (243 goals, 500 assists) in 763 games. 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. Known as “Johnny Hockey, ” he would have been 32 today.
Defenseman Brock Faber said seeing Gaudreau’s children on the ice and his family in the stands underscored the lasting impact Gaudreau will have on the team; Faber said the jersey will always hang in the locker room. Zach Werenski and Dylan Larkin said they devised the idea in the hours before the gold-medal game to get a team picture with the family if the United States won, opting to bring the children onto the ice when getting the whole family proved difficult. Werenski noted it was a special moment to see the boys’ parents, Guy and Jane, in the stands while they celebrated.
Team members repeatedly referenced playing for Gaudreau and trying to make him proud; Larkin even joked that part of the puck not going into the U. S. net felt like Johnny and Matty were watching over them. The win and the on-ice tribute capped a tournament in which players, coaches and the Gaudreau family came together to mark both an Olympic triumph and a public remembrance.
