When Team USA defeated Canada in overtime to capture its first Olympic men’s hockey gold since 1980, the moment was already historic. But what followed inside the arena at the 2026 Winter Olympics turned victory into something far more profound.
The players didn’t skate toward the cameras.
They skated toward family.
Throughout the tournament, Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey had hung inside the U.S. dressing room — a quiet reminder of the teammate who should have been there. After the 2–1 overtime win sealed by Jack Hughes, Dylan Larkin and Matthew Tkachuk carried that jersey onto the ice, holding it high as the celebration began.
Then they brought out his children.
Three-year-old Noa and two-year-old Johnny Jr. were lifted gently onto the ice, cradled by players for the team photo. Gold medals were placed around tiny shoulders. The No. 13 jersey stood at the center of it all.
“To a man, we felt he should’ve been here,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We talked about playing for him, making him proud. I think we did that.”
A Presence Felt All Tournament
Johnny and his brother Matthew had died tragically in August 2024, struck by an SUV while riding bicycles near their New Jersey hometown. The loss sent shockwaves through the hockey world.
Team captain Auston Matthews said Gaudreau’s spirit traveled with them every step of the way.
“He’s been with us the whole tournament,” Matthews said. “To have his jersey in the photo and his kids out there with us — we’re thinking about him.”
An elite NHL forward and the all-time leading U.S. scorer in international play, Gaudreau had been projected to make the Milan roster. Many teammates believed he would have been a defining presence on this very team.
“He would have been on this team and been a huge part of it,” J.T. Miller said. “It’s more than hockey at that point.”
More Than a Medal
For Larkin, the gold medal carried layers of meaning — not only for Gaudreau, but also for former USA Hockey executive Jim Johannson, who passed away in 2018.
“This is for the guys who wore this jersey before us,” Larkin said. “Johnny especially. To get it done today — it’s unbelievable.”
The celebration that night wasn’t just about ending a 46-year drought. It was about honoring a teammate, a father, a son. It was about finishing something one of their own had helped build.
Under the bright lights of Milan, amid cheers and falling confetti, Team USA’s most powerful moment wasn’t the overtime goal.
It was the quiet lap with No. 13 held high — a reminder that some victories belong to more than the scoreboard.
