Team USA honors Johnny Gaudreau after defeating Canada to win the gold medal

Shortly after winning America's first gold medal in men's hockey in 46 years, members of Team USA honored Johnny Gaudreau, a former Team USA member who tragically died in August of 2024. 

Zach Werenski, who played alongside Gaudreau during his final NHL seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, held up Gaudreau's Team USA jersey along with team captain Auston Matthews and assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk shortly after he fed Jack Hughes for the game-winning goal against Canada. 

The gesture occurred with members of Gaudreau's family looking on in the stands. 

After receiving their gold medals, Werenski and Dylan Larkin, who played with Gaudreau at multiple world championships, brought Gaudreau's young children out to the ice for a team photo. 

"It means everything -- we all know he should be here with us," Larkin said of Gaudreau prior to the gold medal game. "He should be with us. We love him, and I like that we continue to think about him and I wouldn't imagine it any other way."

Johnny and his younger brother Matthew Gaudreau were killed after being stuck being an alleged drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey. Like his older brother, Matthew Gaudreau was also an accomplished hockey who played professionally in the AHL and ECHL before becoming a coach. 

A seven-time NHL All-Star, Johnny Gaudreau was a six-time All-Star for the Calgary Flames. He was the 2017 recipient of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, which is given annually to an NHL player "adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

In 2022, Gaudreau shocked most of the hockey world by deciding to sign with the Blue Jackets as a free agent. He was named to his seventh and ultimately final All-Star team during his first season in Columbus, who has continued to honor his legacy following his untimely death. 

Gaudreau helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2013 IIHF Junior World Championships. He most recently played on Team USA during the 2024 IIHF World Championship. He never got a chance to play in the Olympics, though, as the NHL did not participate in the previous two Olympics. 

"He wanted to be on this team," his father, Guy Gaudreau, said during the third period of the America's win over Slovakia. "And it would've been nice if he'd been here."

Members of the Gaudreau family made the trip to Italy after being invited by Team USA. 

"Our two daughters, for 24 hours, they just kept at us: 'You have to go. The boys would want you to do this. This would mean so much to John,'" said Gaudreau's mother, Jane. "It just means so much to our family, and we're so excited to remember what our boys meant to hockey."

Their presence was certainly felt by Team USA. 

"It's great having them here, and it's super special," Werenski said prior to Sunday's game. "We're happy that we made it to the gold medal game so they can watch that and be a part of it. It's on us to make them proud."

Gaudreau served as inspiration throughout the Olympics for Team USA. His uniform was on the locker room throughout the Olympics, and it was on the ice on Sunday when the Americans made history by winning the gold medal for only the third time. 

"He was one of America's very best," said Team USA coach Mike Sullivan. "He's just a good person on the ice and off the ice, and I think he's an inspiration to our players to this very day."