US pays tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew at the Winter Olympics

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MILAN (AP) — Johnny Gaudreau was working hard to make the U.S. team heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics. He and brother Matthew watched the event growing up, always with eyes on playing in it.

“It was their dream,” Jane Gaudreau said her sons.

Johnny and Matthew died on Aug. 29, 2024, when they were struck by an SUV while riding bicycles near their hometown in New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding. Their deaths shocked the hockey community, and they have been honored since by retired numbers, a memorial 5K and more.

An elite player a decade into his NHL career and the all-time U.S. leading scorer in international play, Johnny Gaudreau was on track to be in Milan for the tournament that wraps up Sunday when the Americans play rival Canada for the gold mdeal. Guy Gaudreau said USA Hockey was gracious enough to tell the family their oldest son was on the projected roster.

“He wanted to be on this team,” Guy Gaudreau said during the third period of the U.S. semifinal win on Friday night. “And it would’ve been nice if he’d been here.”

The U.S. is honoring the Gaudreau brothers with a tribute to them in their locker room at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. A blue No. 13 Gaudreau jersey hangs there as a reminder of the player known as “Johnny Hockey,” who was beloved by so many on the national team and beyond.

“It means everything — we all know he should be here with us," said Dylan Larkin, who played with Gaudreau at multiple world championships. "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.”

Jane and Guy Gaudreau, along with Johnny's widow, Meredith, and their two oldest children arrived in Milan on Friday. The Gaudreau parents had been planning a trip to Las Vegas and initially hesitated after USA Hockey invited them to attend.

“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,'” Jane said. “It just means so much to our family, and we’re so excited to remember what our boys meant to hockey.”

The Gaudreau family connections to players on the roster run deep, from Boston College to the NHL. In addition to the world championships, Johnny played with Noah Hanifin on the Calgary Flames and Zach Werenski on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“Johnny was close to a lot of guys in that room,” Hanifin said. "We know he’d be here with us, so we’ve been thinking about him and carrying him with us.”

Werenski said after he and his teammates advanced to the final that Meredith reached out to his wife a few days earlier to let them know they were coming.

“It’s great having them here, and it’s super special,” Werenski said. "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.”

Not that it would have been much of a debate, but coach Mike Sullivan confirmed what management told the Gaudreaus: Johnny would have been on the team if he were still alive, based on his body of work and how well he has played in a U.S. uniform.

“He was one of America’s very best,” Sullivan said. “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.”

Players still talk about Gaudreau, and “all the stories are funny,” according to Charlie McAvoy, who played alongside him at worlds.

“Just an amazing person, just an infectious personality,” McAvoy said. "The detail, really, with our staff and our equipment staff especially to make sure that he’s always with us, little reminders of him in the room, and they just go a long way. You always see them. They’re just gentle. They’re right there. But we know that he’s always with us.”

Along with Johnny's No. 13 jersey is that number on the wall alongside Matthew's No. 21. It's similar to what USA Hockey did a year ago at the 4 Nations Face-Off, when Guy Gaudreau took part in practice as a guest coach.

This would have been Johnny Gaudreau's first chance to play at the Olympics after the NHL did not participate in 2018 and 2022. But it almost certainly won't be the last time his jersey hangs in the U.S. locker room at the game, a tradition that could continue for years to come.

“I hope so," Larkin said. "I sure hope so.”

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics