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Team USA Ends 46-Year Drought With OT Gold, Honors Johnny Gaudreau on the Ice

Players centered their celebration on a memorial to the late winger, with his children included in the team photo.

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Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Ice Hockey - Men's Victory Ceremony - Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy - February 22, 2026. Gold medalists United States hold up the jersey of the late John Gaudreau and celebrate with his children, Noa Harper Gaudreau and Johnny Edward Gaudreau, as they pose for a photograph and celebrate with their medals during the ceremony REUTERS/Mike Segar

Overview

  • The United States beat Canada 2-1 in overtime for Olympic gold, with Jack Hughes scoring the winner for the nation’s first men’s hockey title since 1980.
  • Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Werenski skated with a No. 13 Gaudreau jersey during the medal celebration as fans chanted “Johnny Hockey.”
  • After receiving their medals, Zach Werenski and Dylan Larkin brought Gaudreau’s children, Noa and Johnny Jr., onto the ice for the team picture on the boy’s second birthday.
  • Team USA had kept Gaudreau’s jersey and a nameplate in the locker room throughout the tournament, and his family attended games in Milan.
  • Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed in 2024 after being struck while cycling in New Jersey; prosecutors later charged the driver, reported as Sean Higgins, including counts tied to reckless vehicular homicide and a reported .087 blood-alcohol level.