As the United States and Canada started their first shift of overtime at Milano Santagiulia Arena in Milan, Italy, the Blue Jackets prepared for practice at the Ice Haus.
More: Johnny Gaudreau jersey, family on the ice for Team USA gold medal celebration
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All eyes in Columbus were glued on TVs showing the rivals locking horns for a gold medal in the men’s hockey tournament Feb. 22 at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Blue Jackets players watched Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy take the ice for the 3-on-3 showdown in OT ahead of his U.S. teammate and Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. They all wondered the same thing.
“I mean, we’re certainly biased towards him. but everybody in the locker room … Canadians, Americans, Russians, Swedish, it didn’t matter,” Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “We’re all like, ‘Where is Z? Why isn’t he on the ice yet?’”
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CBJ’s Zach Werenski at 2026 Olympics
Zach Werenski of United States during training at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy on February 08, 2026.
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CBJ’s Zach Werenski at 2026 Olympics
Zach Werenski of United States during training at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy on February 08, 2026.
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CBJ’s Zach Werenski at 2026 Olympics
U.S. Olympians Jeremy Swayman, Zach Werenski, Charles McAvoy Jr and Jake Oettinger pose for a photo at the Team USA Welcome Experience at the 206 Milan-Cortina Olympics on February 06, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
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CBJ’s Zach Werenski at 2026 Olympics
U.S. Olympians Jack Eichel, Jacob Slavin, Matt Boldy and Zach Werenski attend the Team USA Welcome Experience at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
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CBJ’s Zach Werenski at 2026 Olympics
Brock Faber #14 and Zach Werenski #8 of Team United States take part during training on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
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CBJ’s Zach Werenski at 2026 Olympics
Quinn Hughes #43 and Zach Werenski #8 of Team United States participate during training on day three of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 09, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
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CBJ’s Zach Werenski at 2026 Olympics
Zach Werenski #8 of Team United States takes part during training on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Shortly after Werenski finally jumped over the boards, the NHL’s leader in goals by defensemen made an elite play off a Canadian turnover that resulted in a golden goal scored by New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, which gave the U.S. its first Winter Olympics championship since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team.
Chasing the puck, Werenski used his long wingspan to corral it before walling off Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon to wheel and hit Hughes with a perfect pass. MacKinnon, for context, is an elite forward who’s arguably one of the top two or three centers in the world.
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Werenski, despite playing just 12:10 on 15 shifts, showed that he’s also elite.
“Sure enough, he makes that play, and he’s in on their golden goal,” Gudbranson said. “He’s a tremendous teammate and we’re very proud of how he represented us.”
Feb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; Zach Werenski (left) and Jack Hughes of the United States celebrate after winning the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Gudbranson is one of the Blue Jackets’ many Canadian players.
He was pulling hard for Canada but couldn’t help but feel good for Werenski, who paraded Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 U.S. jersey around the ice as a postgame tribute and held Gaudreau’s oldest of three kids, daughter Noa, for a team photo.
Gaudreau, who likely would’ve been on Team USA, was killed along with his brother, Matthew on Aug. 29, 2024, when an alleged drunk driver struck them as they biked in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. Gudbranson and Sean Monahan, two Canadians who first befriended Gaudreau as teammates with the Calgary Flames, were happy to see the U.S. memorialize him while celebrating with the Gaudreau family.
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“Very classy by USA Hockey to bring them over there,” Gudbranson said. “It goes to show, again, how important Johnny was to the game of hockey, to us, to the Calgary Flames and to people all over the world. He would’ve been on that team, too, and I would’ve been losing my marbles watching him skate around with the puck.”
Charlie Coyle and the smaller U.S. contingent in the Blue Jackets’ locker room spilled their own marbles when Hughes ended it, especially knowing it was Werenski’s play that set it up.
“I was saying before overtime started that I really wanted ‘Z’ to score just to see who his real friends are in the locker room, to see if there were any cheers from Canadians,” Coyle said, smiling. “Of course, he had a factor in it and made a great play to win a battle and get it over to Hughes. So, I don’t think guys can be too upset by that. Most of our guys were pretty happy, but it was just an awesome game to watch.”
Feb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; Seth Jarvis of Canada battles for the puck against Zach Werenski of the United States during the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Elvis Merzlikins, who played in the tournament for Latvia, enjoyed it too. He wasn’t required to return until Feb. 24 but joined the Blue Jackets to watch the U.S. and Canada before getting on the ice for practice.
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He made no secret about his rooting interests.
“I was super happy,” Merzlikins said. “There were many Canadians here on the team, so I was against them. They didn’t like it, but I was cheering for my teammate. That’s what I told them. I’m proud. I’m proud of him. He deserves it and I can’t wait for him to come home.”
That’s a shared sentiment, even among those who allegiance lies North of the border.
“It was kind of a win-win for us, as Canadians,” Gudbranson said. “You’re either winning and you’re happy, or you’re incredibly proud of your teammate who’s living a dream that we all had as kids. I couldn’t be more proud of ‘Z’ representing his country and how he represented the Blue Jackets.”
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Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets ‘proud’ of Zach Werenski’s golden Olympics