Johnny Gaudreau Honored as Team USA Brings His Children Onto Ice After Overtime Olympic Gold
Team USA carried Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey onto the ice and brought his young children onto the rink during the medal celebration after beating Canada 2-1 in overtime at Santagiulia Arena in Milan. The tribute highlighted how johnny gaudreau remained a defining presence for the squad through the tournament and into the championship moment.
Santagiulia Arena: Overtime Win, 2-1 Over Canada
The United States secured gold at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada, the nation’s first men’s hockey gold in 46 years. The game finished in sudden death at Santagiulia Arena; goaltender Connor Hellebuyck delivered a performance described by teammates as valiant, while Canada squandered multiple opportunities, including a wide-open cage miss by Nathan MacKinnon in the final minutes.
Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 Jersey Carried and Displayed
Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Werenski and Auston Matthews carried Gaudreau’s Team USA No. 13 jersey onto the ice after the win. The jersey — which has hung in the Americans’ locker room at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February and at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, where Team USA also won gold — was placed above a banner displaying Johnny’s No. 13 and his brother Matthew’s No. 21 from Boston College during the Milan tournament. Captain Auston Matthews said the team felt Gaudreau had been “with us here in spirit the whole tournament. ”
Family on Ice: Noa and Johnny Jr. Join Team Photo
After the victory parade of the jersey, teammates arranged for a team picture that included Gaudreau’s children. Dylan Larkin held Johnny Jr., who turned 2 on Sunday, while Zach Werenski held Gaudreau’s 3-year-old daughter, Noa. Larkin and Matthew Tkachuk both held Gaudreau’s jersey for the photograph. Werenski and Larkin had planned in the hours before the final that, if the United States won, they would bring the Gaudreau family onto the ice; they had hoped to get the whole family on the rink but, constrained by a gate, chose to bring the children out.
Circumstances of the Brothers’ Deaths: August 29, 2024
Johnny and his brother Matthew died on Aug. 29, 2024. One account notes the brothers were struck by a car while riding bicycles near their Salem County, New Jersey, home the night before they were to attend their sister Katie’s wedding; another account describes them being hit while riding home after their sister’s rehearsal dinner. An alleged drunk driver has been charged with two counts of death by auto. Johnny was 31 at the time of his death; Matthew was 29.
Legacy and Career: International Success and NHL Totals
Johnny Gaudreau left a lengthy on-ice record that teammates and officials pointed to during the celebration. He led a tournament with seven goals when the U. S. won gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in Russia and helped the United States to a bronze at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark. Over his NHL career from 2014-24 with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, 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. Teammates referred to him by his nickname, “Johnny Hockey, ” and noted that he would have been 32 today.
Teammates and Emotional Response
Players spoke openly about the emotional weight of the tribute. Werenski said he felt Gaudreau’s presence throughout the tournament and at prior events, and called bringing the family onto the ice “super special. ” Brady Tkachuk said the team wanted to show the Gaudreau family support and that Johnny would have been on the roster; Dylan Larkin said “Johnny’s family first. ” Defenseman Brock Faber’s eyes welled up seeing the children on teammates’ laps and the family in the stands, adding that Gaudreau’s jersey will remain hung in the locker room and that his legacy will live on. What makes this notable is how a single game became a public reckoning with loss and memory, folding career milestones and family mourning into the Olympic triumph.
