After defeating Canada, 2-1, in overtime to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the U.S. men’s ice hockey team honored the late Johnny Gaudreau, with players holding up his No. 13 jersey as they skated around the ice.
Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were tragically killed on Aug. 29, 2024, when they were struck by a vehicle near their childhood home in Salem County, New Jersey. The brothers were planning to attend their sister’s wedding the following day.
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Though he died nearly two years ago, Gaudreau likely would have been on the United States men’s hockey team and played in Milan Cortina. He participated in international play since his junior hockey days in 2013 and played on Team USA in four World Championship tournaments (in 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2024). However, Gaudreau never had an opportunity to play in the Winter Olympics.
Gaudreau’s jersey hung in the U.S. locker room throughout the Milan Olympics, as it did during the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago when Team USA lost to Canada.
“It means everything,” said U.S. forward (and Detroit Red Wings captain) Dylan Larkin, via the New York Post. “We all know he should be here with us. We all played with him at some point along the line. He should be with us.”
“What I can say, we love him,” he added. “I like that we continue to think about him. I wouldn’t imagine it any other way.”
The number 13 of late US ice hockey player Johnny Gaudreau is draped on the boards during the medal ceremony after the United States beat Canada to win the gold medal. (Photo by Antonin THUILLIER / AFP via Getty Images)
(ANTONIN THUILLIER via Getty Images)
Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jane, and his widow Meredith were in the stands at Milan’s Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena to witness Team USA’s gold medal victory and its tribute to their late teammate.
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Later, when the full team posed on the ice for a photo, Gaudreau’s daughter Noa and son Johnny Jr. joined the squad while their father’s jersey was displayed. Johnny and Meredith’s third child, Carter, was born in April 2025.
“It’s fun to be a part of this,” Meredith said, via NHL.com. “We wished we were a part of it, so when we got the call to come out, it felt like maybe [Johnny] did make the team.”
The family of the late Johnny Gaudreau celebrate after Team USA won the men’s hockey gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
(Elsa via Getty Images)
On the NBC telecast, analyst Bryan Boucher (a former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender) mentioned how highly regarded Gaudreau is to the hockey community in Philadelphia. Gaudreau grew up in Salem, New Jersey, approximately 42 miles outside the metro Philly area.
“Johnny meant so much to a lot of guys on this team,” he said as the players skated around the ice with Gaudreau’s jersey. “I live in the Philadelphia area and I can tell you that Johnny Gaudreau is an absolute hero in the Philadelphia area — south Jersey, in particular. So many kids looked up to Johnny Gaudreau and modeled their game after him.”
As the full team posed on the ice for a photo, two of Gaudreau’s children joined the squad while their father’s jersey was displayed.
Team USA invited Johnny Gaudreau’s children to pose with them for a team photo after winning the men’s hockey gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. (Photo by Andrea Branca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
(Eurasia Sport Images via Getty Images)
Gaudreau received the nickname “Johnny Hockey” while playing at Boston College, where he was part of the 2012 national championship team and won the 2013-14 Hobey Baker Award which honors the nation’s top men’s college hockey player.
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A fourth-round pick by the Calgary Flames in 2011, Gaudreau played 11 seasons in the NHL, nine with the Flames and two with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He tallied 243 goals and 500 assists in 763 career games. As Gaudreau explained in a letter to Calgary fans, he signed with the Blue Jackets as a free agent in part to be closer to his family in New Jersey.