Johnny Gaudreau’s sweater was finally taken out of Team USA’s dressing room on Sunday. It had to be on the ice.
That was the only way, of course, for the Americans to properly honour their Forever No. 13, who should have been here in Italy to celebrate with them after a 2-1 overtime win over Canada and a gold medal for which the country has waited 46 years.
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“This is for the guys who wore the jersey before us. Johnny Gaudreau especially,” Dylan Larkin said.
“(Late USA Hockey GM) Jim Johannson, all those people should be here. Johnny especially. Matty, his brother. To get it done today, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
It’s been 18 months since Johnny and his brother, Matthew, were struck and killed by a drunk driver while biking the night before their sister was scheduled to be married. The grief still hasn’t fully subsided. Not in the hockey community, which is so tightly knit, and not for this Team USA, on which so many players grew up in the sport alongside Gaudreau.
No. 13 was front and center in their team photo. So were two of Johnny’s kids, three-year-old Noa and two-year-old Johnny Jr., held by Zach Werenski and Larkin. Johnny Jr. turned two on Sunday.
Johnny would have been on this team, should have been on this team. He played for Team USA at four World Championships and won gold with them at World Juniors in 2013. He was on the under-23 Team North America at the 2016 World Cup, and waited patiently to represent Team USA in best-on-best competition.
So this was only right.
“We talked about it,” Werenski said.
“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.”
Johnny’s parents, Guy and Jane Gaudreau, along with his wife, Meredith, got to Italy ahead of Friday’s semifinal against Slovakia. Just like during the 4 Nations Face-Off final last year at TD Garden, fans chanted “Johnny Hockey” on Sunday in Italy. Except this time, it was after the game, during the celebration.
“It meant everything,” Werenski said.
“This is something John would have been at. And to see his family here supporting us and seeing his kids, bringing them on the ice — we talked about playing for him, making him proud and I think we did that.”
All tournament long, they were playing for him.
“I think he’s had a big impact on a lot of guys in our room,” captain Auston Matthews said.
“A lot of guys grew up with him. Played with him. Spent a lot of time with him, whether that’s the NHL or World Championships, different settings like that. We had his jersey in our room last year in 4 Nations, had his jersey in the room here at the Olympics. Just a subtle reminder that him and his brother are with us in spirit.
“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 the impact he’s had on so many guys in this room is special. He was with us in spirit the whole tournament.”
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
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