The United States men’s hockey team is leaving Italy Olympic champions after beating Canada 2-1 in the final.
But before bring home their gold, they made sure to honor former NHL star Johnny Gaudreau while on Olympic ice.
After the thrilling overtime victory Sunday morning, Matthew Tkachuk and several other players skated around the rink while holding Gaudreau’s number 13 jersey. They held onto the jersey during the medal ceremony and team photo, and even brought Gaudreau’s young children onto the ice to celebrate.
Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty Images
Gaudreau, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his brother Matthew were killed in August 2024 while riding their bikes in Salem County, New Jersey, the night before their sister’s wedding. The driver who allegedly hit the brothers was charged with driving drunk before the crash.
Gaudreau’s jersey has hung in the team’s locker room throughout the Olympics, and his family was in the stands for the historic victory.
AP Photo/Petr David Josek 
The win comes exactly 46 years after the United States beat the Soviet Union in their quest to win gold at the 1980 Winter Games, a game that came to be known as the “Miracle on Ice.”
The Gaudreau brothers grew up playing hockey in South Jersey and both went on to play for Boston College. Johnny was awarded the Hobey Baker Award in 2014, and helped BC win the NCAA Championship in 2012. The Calgary Flames drafted Johnny in 2011, and he played with the team until becoming a free agent and joining the Blue Jackets in 2022.
