Johnny Gaudreau’s Parents Open Up About Special Gold Medal Celebration at Winter Games

The U.S. men’s hockey team brought the late Johnny Gaudreau’s children onto the ice after beating Canada in the gold medal match at the Milan Cortina Olympics. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

The U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win in Milan this winter was special in more ways than one.

Following Team USA’s thrilling 2-1 overtime upset against Canada in the Olympic final, the American players paraded the late Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey on the ice and also carried his children, 3-year-old Noa and 2-year-old Johnny Jr., onto the rink for a team picture.

That emotional, picture-perfect moment, which will forever be engrained in USA hockey lore, brought Johnny’s father Guy to tears.

“When my granddaughter and grandson went out, I cried, but I was happy that the world would recognize them as part of John. And if you look at them, they look like John! It was a really special thing,” Guy Gaudreau said in an interview Wednesday.

Johnny’s mother, Jane, also opened up about seeing the U.S. men’s hockey team pay a precious tribute to her son.

“They were saying they played for John,” Jane Gaudreau said. “It was just so moving and touching. It was hard for Guy and myself and Meredith. When they brought the kids on the ice, it was so emotional and moving. It was so wonderful that they would have that much respect for Johnny and Matty.”

The Gaudreau family is back in South Jersey after the tribute to Johnny at the Olympics when the men’s hockey team won the gold medal

“They were saying they played for John. It was just so moving and touching. It was hard for Guy and myself and Meredith. When they brought the… pic.twitter.com/tOxcbn8yEn

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) February 25, 2026

Johnny, an 11-year NHL veteran, and his brother Matthew died after getting hit by a drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey in August 2024. Johnny left behind his wife Meredith and two children.

Meredith, who was in attendance alongside Johnny’s parents for Team USA’s Olympic final, said she was extremely thankful to the players for including her children in their gold medal-winning celebration and for honoring Johnny’s memory.

Johnny played his last two NHL seasons on the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2022 to ‘24, at which point he was already dreaming about representing the U.S. in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. The left winger had previously played for the U.S. at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded three goals and eight assists, but he wanted a taste of the Winter Games, too.

“[Johnny] said, ‘Dad when I come home, we really have to push it,’” Gaudreau’s sister, Katie, recalled to The Inquirer. “‘I really want to make the Olympics.’” Johnny’s conversation with his dad took place just a few months before he died.

But, in a way, Johnny did end up making it to his first Olympics after all, thanks to his USA teammates and family who strove to carry on his legacy.

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