Overview
- NBC Sports’ coverage showed Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey and nameplate displayed in the U.S. locker room at Milano Santagiulia during the Milan Cortina Games, including before Sunday’s 5-1 win over Germany.
- Alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk said Gaudreau feels present with the team and noted his dedicated area in the room as a daily reminder.
- Defenseman Zach Werenski, Gaudreau’s former Columbus teammate, said the group is playing to make him proud and believed he would have made this Olympic roster.
- Head coach Mike Sullivan said the team began carrying Gaudreau’s jersey at last year’s Four Nations tournament and that honoring him throughout these Games reflects his influence on teammates.
- Gaudreau, a seven-time NHL All-Star and Lady Byng winner who holds the U.S. men’s IIHF scoring record, died with his brother in an August 2024 New Jersey bicycling crash; an alleged drunk driver has been charged with aggravated manslaughter and reckless vehicular homicide.