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The U.S. men’s hockey team honored the late Johnny Gaudreau on Sunday when players brought his jersey and their children onto the ice while celebrating an Olympic gold medal.
Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a suspected drunk driver in New Jersey in August 2024. They were in town to attend their sister’s wedding. The former Columbus Blue Jackets player likely would have been on the team if not for the tragedy.
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Dylan Larkin (21) of the United States holds Johnny, the son of late player Johnny Gaudreau, as he poses with teammates after a men’s ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
American Matthew Tkachuk (19) charges Noa Gaudreau after a men’s ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Katie Gaudreau appeared on Pak Gazette Channel’s “Fox & Friends” and thanked the team for what they did.
“Team USA really went all out. It meant a lot,” he said Monday. “Even having his jersey out when Matthew (Tkachuk) came out with his jersey round after round with the jersey on. It really meant a lot. And we thought it was just going to end there.
“And then I remember seeing the shirt when they were handing out the gold medals and thinking, ‘Wow, it’s still there,’ and as the celebration went on, when they went to take the photo, they stopped for a moment. We thought, ‘What are they doing? What are they doing?’ And I thought I heard them say before, ‘There’s Meredith in the crowd,’ and when they went and got Johnny (Junior) on his second birthday and Noa, it really meant a lot to us because, honestly, this is what John wanted for his kids. “He wanted them to experience these experiences, these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that he worked so hard for.”
TEAM USA MEN’S HOCKEY HONORS JOHNNY GAUDREAU AFTER WINNING OLYMPIC GOLD
Team USA poses for the group photo Johnny Gaudreau’s children during the men’s gold medal match between Canada and the United States on day sixteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (RvS.Media/Monika Majer/Getty Images)
Team USA won the game, 2-1, thanks to Jack Hughes’ overtime score. Canada missed some opportunities to open the game.
Katie Gaudreau said she thought there may have been some kind of divine intervention for Canada to lose some of the opportunities it had.
“They would be very proud. They like to bite their nails, so they probably would have been chirping at everyone. But they would have been proud,” he said. “I think there were a couple of goals that…could have had a little help saving. They didn’t go in. There were a couple of times I was looking at, ‘How did that not go in?’ I think they could have had some help behind the net. “They were never fully on defense, so I don’t know if they would have gotten back into the defensive zone to stop that puck.”
She added that the pain of losing her brothers was still there, but thanks to the hockey community, she and her family have been able to deal with it day by day.
“There’s no processing. We’re still taking it day by day,” he said. “But thanks to the help of the hockey community and really North America as a whole, we have been able to take another step each day and I am very grateful for the community’s help. No parent, wife, sister or children should have to experience this tragedy.
Auston Matthews (34) of the United States, Zach Werenski (8) of the United States and Matthew Tkachuk (19) of the United States hold up John Gaudreau’s jersey after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026. (Amber Searls/Image Images)
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“The fact that we’re still here and taking it step by step to honor the kids and their legacy is really a thank you to the community and things like Team USA and what they did yesterday. Just the outpouring of love and support for John’s kids, Matthew’s journey, it’s really incredible what this community can really do.”
