"To be able to get it done like that, to win, to have his jersey out there in the team photo, have his kids come out and be with us, we're obviously thinking of him,"
"Just felt like the impact that he's had on so many guys in this room is special. He was with us in spirit the whole tournament."
"We saw them up there, and we wanted to get the whole family on, but it was kind of hard with the gate, so we figured we'd grab the kids. Special moment seeing Guy and Jane."
Team USA won the Olympic gold medal with a 2-1 overtime victory against Canada. Auston Matthews, Zach Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk skated with the No. 13 jersey of the late Johnny Gaudreau during the celebration. Players brought Gaudreau's children, Noa and Johnny Jr., onto the ice for the team photo. Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed in 2024 when struck by an SUV while riding bicycles; Johnny had recently committed to the U.S. program and likely would have been an Olympic candidate. The team hung his jersey in the locker room for each game, and his widow and parents attended the final.
Read at ESPN.com
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