The U.S. men’s hockey team paid an emotional tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau during the gold medal celebration at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
It was a bittersweet moment for those who fully expected Gaudreau to be a member of Team USA in these Winter Games, if not for his untimely death on Aug. 29, 2024.
Despite his absence, the American team found ways to honor him throughout the tournament, hanging his jersey in their locker room. Gaudreau’s family members were also in attendance for Sunday’s gold medal game. And when Jack Hughes scored the golden goal in overtime, the players and coaches made sure Gaudreau’s jersey and his children were out on the ice for the team photo.
What happened to Johnny Gaudreau?
Johnny Gaudreau, a seven-time NHL All-Star with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, is the USA’s all-time leading scorer in international play. ‘Johnny Hockey,’ as he was known, would likely have been a lock to make the U.S. Olympic team.
But that was before Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed on Aug. 29 after being hit by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes down a country road in Salem County, New Jersey, near their family hometown.
The driver of the car, 44-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was indicted on two counts of reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated manslaughter, one count of tampering with physical evidence and one count of leaving the scene of a fatal accident.