Jenner, Marchenko and Werenski talk Blue Jackets return from NHL break
Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner, forward Kirill Marchenko and defenseman Zach Werenski talk returning from injuries, 4 Nations break
The U.S. men’s hockey team won its first world championship gold medal since 1933, honoring the late Johnny Gaudreau.Gaudreau, who died in August 2024, played for the U.S. in the 2024 world championships and was a significant motivator for the team.Zach Werenski brought Gaudreau’s jersey onto the ice for the celebration, emphasizing his importance to the team.The win inspired Werenski, who expressed a renewed desire for victory with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The video went viral.
As his U.S. teammates hugged and high-fived May 25 in Stockholm, Sweden, celebrating a gold medal at the men’s world championships, Blue Jackets star Zach Werenski exited to retrieve Johnny Gaudreau’s USA jersey from the locker room at Avicii Arena.
He’d not only played with Gaudreau in Columbus for two years, but they also shared a locker room for the U.S. at the 2024 men’s worlds in Czechia, falling short of winning a medal while losing in the quarterfinal round.
“It’s one of those things where the second we won, that was the first thing I thought about … that he was going to be in the picture,” Werenski said. “He’s a huge part of it, and I just wanted to make sure he was included in every way. And our team wanted that, not just me. Everyone on the team, everyone in the group, including the coaches and staff. Everyone wanted that.”
So, the first U.S. men’s world championship gold since 1933 was capped by a celebration that included many photos with Gaudreau’s jersey draped underneath the trophy. It’s been almost 10 months since Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed by a drunk driver Aug. 29, 2024, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, while biking together following their sister’s wedding rehearsal dinner.
It was a tragedy that struck the close-knit world of hockey hard, leaving behind their devastated family plus many gutted teammates, friends and others forced to cope together.
Playing for the Gaudreaus spurred the Blue Jackets to within two points of the Stanley Cup playoffs, provided a stirring backdrop for their outdoor victory over the Detroit Red Wings on March 1 at Ohio Stadium, inspired the U.S. to a silver medal at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February 2025 and, finally, motivated “Team USA” to a world title.
Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey hung inside the U.S. locker room. One of the awards the team handed out after victories was a blue USA winter hat in the style Gaudreau usually wore. Werenski, who arrived a little late during a busy offseason, spent two-plus weeks after the tournament touring Europe with his fiancée – and the gold medal – as a pre-wedding honeymoon.
Looking back now, he feels fate was involved.
“He’s a big reason I went this year … or Meredith is,” Werenski said of Gaudreau’s widow, Meredith Gaudreau. “She texted my fiancée right when the season ended, out of nowhere, just saying, ‘I think ‘Z’ should go to worlds this year.’ And when we asked why, she was just like, ‘John never had any regrets going to worlds. He always loved playing for the U.S.A., and it was always a great experience.’”
That included Gaudreau playing for the U.S. in May 2024 after his tough second year in Columbus, adding three goals, eight assists and 11 points in eight games to become the nation’s all-time leader in assists and points during world championship competition.
Prior to joining the U.S. in Czechia, Gaudreau had told reporters in Columbus that his goal was to start preparing for the 2024-25 NHL season early, hoping to use the world championships to spark a big rebound year that pushed the Blue Jackets higher in the Eastern Conference.
A few months later, they were forced to do it without him on the ice. Off the ice, the Gaudreaus provided immense motivation to the Blue Jackets and all U.S. national teams.
“I was busy before worlds, so I had to show up late, but it was something where I kind of felt like it was meant to be in a sense,” Werenski said. “He was a big reason I was there, and he’s been a big part of USA Hockey for so long. While I was there, Will Smith (San Jose Sharks) and Cole Caufield (Montreal Canadiens) said to me after the tournament, the main reason they wanted to go last year (2024) was because of John, and to play with him. So, I just think the whole thing really was kind of meant to be. You could feel that he was there with us, and it’s just a super special moment.”
It was also a stark reminder of what winning a championship feels like, something Werenski has only done once in 2016 as a rookie in the Cleveland Monsters’ AHL Calder Cup championship.
Since that title, Werenski’s only tastes of winning with the Blue Jackets were pulling off a shocking first-round sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019 and upsetting the Toronto Maple Leafs in a postseason play-in matchup during the NHL’s 2020 COVID-bubble postseason.
“Everyone knew what was at stake (at worlds), and I feel like it was probably a better feeling than any of us could have expected, once we actually won,” Werenski said. “I texted some people that I’m really close with afterward, and they all texted back, ‘Congrats,’ or whatever. Right after that, though, I texted back: ‘I love winning, and I need more of it.’”
After watching former teammates Seth Jones and Sergei Bobrovsky hoist the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers on June 17, along with Bill Zito, the Blue Jackets’ former assistant GM, Werenski is hungrier than ever to win in Columbus. Getting a gold medal stoked his inner fire even more.
“That’s what I want,” Werenski said. “When you don’t win or you don’t make the playoffs, or you haven’t been around that environment, you almost forget how fun it is. I know it wasn’t the Olympics and it’s not all the best players there, but that feeling when Tage (Thompson) scored the gold medal goal, I haven’t had that feeling since I won the Calder Cup back when I first signed.”
It was instant elation, pure joy and exactly what the Blue Jackets’ best player needed going into the rest of his summer.
“It’s one of those things where you get reminded quickly how fun winning is, and I think for our group (in Columbus), we have to get back there,” Werenski said. “That’s where my mind’s at right now. I’m going to do whatever it takes to win.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
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