‘Johnny and Matty should be here’: USA reflects on Gaudreau brothers following Olympic gold
In the pomp and circumstance of winning the gold medal at the Olympics, members of the United States men’s hockey team recognized one of their own who wasn’t there.
Over the past year, U.S. hockey teams have honored the late Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau, who were tragically killed in August 2024. In Milan, the men’s hockey team had a stall with Johnny’s No. 13 hanging in their locker room. With the NHL’s return to the Olympics coming this year, there’s no question the man known as Johnny Hockey would’ve been representing his country on sport’s biggest stage.
To add to the lead-up to the gold medal game, both of Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jane, Johnny’s widow, Meredith, and his two kids, Noa and Johnny Jr., arrived in Milan on Friday, adding another layer of feeling to what was already an emotionally-charged matchup.
As Team USA celebrated on the Milano Santagiulia ice on Sunday, minutes after beating Canada in overtime in a thrilling gold medal game, the players were sure to recognize the absence of Gaudreau, bringing his jersey onto the ice, with Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Werenski parading it around the arena.
Not only that, Dylan Larkin and Werenski, who had played with Gaudreau at various international tournaments, brought Noa and Johnny Jr., who turned two on Sunday, onto the ice for the team picture, a moment that brought goosebumps to not only those inside the arena in Italy, but those watching around the globe.
“Johnny and Matty should be here,” Larkin said after the game. “We miss him, and we love him, and we love his family.”
Dylan Larkin: "Johnny and Matty should be here.... Somehow they put a spell around our net where that puck didn't go in. Ironic, because it's on the defensive side. He would never have been back there. We miss him, and we love him, and we love his family."
It looked like Canada was going to find a way to score the go-ahead goal in the third, but whether it was because of lucky bounces or great saves from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, the U.S. hung on to force overtime.
Larkin joked that Johnny and Matthew might’ve had something to do with Team USA’s fortunes, despite Johnny not being known as a two-way player in his day.
“Somehow, they put a spell around our net where that puck didn’t go in. Ironic, because it’s on the defensive side. He would never have been back there.”