BOSTON — Milan. Miami. The White House.
Zach Werenski looked bleary-eyed after a whirlwind previous three days, but the gold-medal winner was the first Columbus Blue Jackets player on the ice Thursday for the morning skate and said he’ll be “ready to go” when the playoff-hungry Blue Jackets return to action against the Boston Bruins.
“Getting out there with the guys, watching video … my mindset definitely got back into game mode,” Werenski said. “Obviously, I understand where we’re at in the standings and all that, and who we’re playing, so it’s not hard to get up for this game tonight.
“The travel and the events that have transpired over the last few days were a lot for sure, but I’ll go back (to the team hotel), I’ll eat and get a nap. Hopefully, we get a win tonight and then I’ll take (Friday) off. But, yeah, I’m ready to go for sure.”
Werenski was still dressed in his Team USA garb. “It’s a long story,” he said, and a story for a later date. But you can understand how hard it might be for Werenski to get his bearings.
It was Werenski who had the picture-perfect assist on Jack Hughes’ “golden goal” that sent Team USA to the gold-medal win over Canada in overtime Sunday. The party started immediately after the game, continued late into the night in the Olympic Village, and carried over the next day when the club arrived in Miami on Monday.
Then, on Tuesday, Werenski and other members of the club traveled to the White House to visit with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, have lunch and later stay for Trump’s State of the Union address.
Werenski met up with the Blue Jackets in Boston on Wednesday, but it’s been hard to switch gears and leave behind the emotions, the euphoria, of winning a men’s hockey gold medal for the United States for the first time in 46 years.
“I can remember exactly what happened in the moment (on Hughes’ goal),” he said. “And then after it went in (the net), it was just … black. It felt better than I ever could have imagined, and everything afterward … the reception we got when we landed in Miami, the party that night, the White House, the State of the Union … it’s been pretty incredible.
“When I get in bed at night, I want to keep scrolling and looking at content and, you know, we were having a good time … it’s probably the best moment in my life. And, yeah, I don’t want it to end, but obviously I have to move forward and play tonight, so I’m ready for that as well.”
The game-winning goal will, of course, be replayed for many generations to come. But for many watching Sunday’s game, the most powerful, emotional moment came after the game as Team USA gathered for a picture.
Werenski and two other players took laps around the rink holding Johnny Gaudreau’s Team USA sweater, the one he surely would have worn in the Olympic tournament. Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were struck by a car and killed while riding bikes on a New Jersey road in August 2024.
Werenski and Dylan Larkin went into the stands and returned holding two of Gaudreau’s children, daughter Noa and son Johnny Jr. The little ones sat on their laps while the picture was taken.
“It was incredible,” Werenski said. “We see his jersey hang every day here in Columbus. I saw it last year at 4 Nations. I saw it at the World Championships, and now at the Olympics. These are all events he would be at.
“We had a lot of pride playing for him. That’s what it’s all about. That was one of my favorite moments of this whole thing. He touched a lot of people and had a lot of great friends and a lot of those friends were on this team. We wanted to do something special for (the Gaudreaus).”
As you’d expect, Werenski made some new friendships and strengthened some existing relationships during the Olympic experience. He attended the opening ceremonies with Boston’s Jeremy Swayman and Charlie McAvoy, and Dallas’ Jake Oettinger.
Strange world he’s in, right? Barely four days after playing together and partying together, Werenski now faces Swayman and McAvoy as opponents tonight in TD Garden. Can he possibly finish a check on McAvoy so soon?
“He’s a big boy,” Werenski said. “I don’t know, I mean, it’s probably going to be the other way around, if anything.”
Werenski also was asked about the controversy of the last few days, including the fact that members of Team USA laughed in the postgame dressing room when Trump said he “probably would be impeached” if he didn’t also invite the women’s team, which also won a gold medal, to the State of the Union.
“I’m happy you brought that up,” Werenski said.
“Incredible group of women. We got to know them extremely well in the village. No one was bigger supporters of them than us. I remember I was at dinner for their gold medal game. I was glued to my phone watching it.
“Obviously, it’s not a great moment. It doesn’t look great, so I understand that. But, you know, I think deep down, they know how we feel about them and how much support we have for them. Just incredible people, incredible hockey players, and they’ve done so much for the game of hockey.
“There are going to be so many girls out there who play that want to be Megan Keller and Caroline Harvey. They’ve changed the sport of hockey and I couldn’t be more supportive of them. Like I said, obviously, it looks bad in the moment. Didn’t mean anything by that.”
Werenski said he hasn’t contacted any of the women’s players yet, but offered an apology.
“I know some of the guys have reached out who know them better than I do,” he said. “I just apologize for the way it looks, but I think deep down they know how much support we have for them.”