The USA hockey brotherhood carried Johnny Hockey with them all the way to the gold: Mary Katharine Ham

There volition beryllium 2 iconic pictures of the solemnisation aft Team USA’s overtime Gold-Medal triumph Sunday successful hockey. In one, the antheral who scored the aureate goal, Jack Hughes, smiles into the stands, shattered beforehand teeth, fist raised successful celebration, a emblem draped implicit his shoulders— the representation of grit and glory. 

But elsewhere connected the ice, successful that moment, 2 of his teammates were readying the 2nd iconic photo. After the Star-Spangled Banner rang out, the squad gathered for a changeable astatine halfway ice. Zach Werenski and Dylan Larkin skated toward the stands, gesturing to the household of their fallen erstwhile teammate, Johnny Gaudreau. Each antheral hoisted a dark-haired toddler implicit the rails and onto the ice. They folded Gaudreau’s children, 3-year-old Noa and 2-year-old Johnny Jr., into the squad representation arsenic Gaudreau’s widow, Meredith, and his parents watched from the stands. 

Auston Matthews (34) of the United States, Zach Werenski (8) of the United States and Matthew Tkachuk (19) of the United States clasp up the jersey of John Gaudreau aft defeating Canada successful the men's crystal hockey golden medal crippled during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games astatine Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena connected Feb. 22, 2026. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Sunday’s hard-fought triumph against rival Canada felt fated successful a batch of ways. It was played connected George Washington’s day connected America’s 250th. It was 1 twelvemonth aft the USA mislaid to Canada successful the finals of the 4 Nations Face-Off, mounting up an Olympic grudge lucifer for the ages. It besides happened to beryllium the 46th day of the 1980 Miracle connected Ice, the past clip America’s men took Gold successful hockey, astatine the Lake Placid Olympics. And for galore successful the arena, it was played for Johnny, whose household had been enveloped conscionable this mode by the "hockey brotherhood," arsenic Hughes called it successful a post-game interview, since his tragic decease successful 2024. 

On August 29, 2024, Gaudreau and his member Matthew were connected a motorcycle thrust successful New Jersey erstwhile beingness took a horrific turn. The Columbus Blue Jackets phenom, who was known arsenic "Johnny Hockey," was successful municipality with household for his sister’s wedding erstwhile an allegedly drunk operator tried to walk a slower car and struck the Gaudreau brothers, 31 and 29, who were riding connected the close broadside of the road. Johnny and Matthew died astatine the scene, leaving down 2 wives, 2 sisters, 2 parents, and Johnny’s 2 young children. The operator volition look proceedings this period successful New Jersey.

At the memorial work for the brothers, we learned beingness had taken different crook earlier their deaths. Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny’s wife, announced she was large with their 3rd child, "a full surprise." 

Team USA airs for a radical photograph Johnny Gaudreau's children during the Men's Gold Medal lucifer betwixt Canada and the United States connected time sixteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games astatine Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena connected Feb. 22, 2026 successful Milan, Italy. (RvS.Media/Monika Majer/Getty Images)

"John and I had the champion six months arsenic a household of four. These volition everlastingly beryllium the champion six months of my life," she said astatine the memorial service. "There's specifically 1 week that I volition cherish everlastingly — it volition beryllium my favourite week of my beingness retired of those six months. We're really a household of five. I'm successful my ninth week of gestation with our 3rd baby."

Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew’s wife, was large with their archetypal child. 

Since then, Carter Michael Gaudreau, Johnny’s son, and Tripp Matthew Gaudreau, Matthew’s son, person been added to the household roster. The household marvels astatine however overmuch they look similar their dads, truthful overmuch truthful that their parent Jane told the AP past twelvemonth that it felt a small similar God had fixed them "John and Matty back."

Add to the database of those who past the Gaudreau brothers, 2 children they volition ne'er get to meet. But erstwhile the brothers couldn’t beryllium determination for them, the brotherhood was.

Johnny Hockey was a star, a decorated collegiate subordinate astatine Boston College earlier going pro with the Calgary Flames successful 2014, wherever helium scored the lone extremity of the nighttime connected the precise archetypal crippled of his vocation CHECK. He represented the USA connected aggregate World Championship teams and would person been connected the 4 Nations squad successful 2025 and Olympic squad successful 2026 had his beingness not been chopped short. 

USA Hockey did not hide him. Instead, they carried Johnny with them wherever they played. Gaudreau had a locker astatine the 4 Nations Face-Off, his jersey hanging inside. Before that last crippled successful 2025— a gutting 3-2 overtime nonaccomplishment for the Team USA — Mike Eruzione, of the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal team, wore Gaudreau’s jersey arsenic an honorary captain. 

There person been 5Ks to rise wealth for their puerility school, which needed a caller playground, tributes astatine NHL games crossed some Canada and America, with chants of "Johnny Hockey." Their begetter Guy stayed progressive successful the nationalist squad and with the Blue Jackets, who donned Johnny’s signature jeans, boots, and Avalon Surf Shop hoodie for 1 of their games this year. Those aforesaid teammates insisted Jane travel connected the yearly Blue Jacket Mom bonding travel successful 2025.

But the roadworthy has not been easy. Their sister Katie rescheduled her wedding for 10 months aft the time that changed their lives, with her parent encouraging her not to fto the antheral who took her brothers instrumentality different important happening from their family. When it came clip for the Olympics, Katie returned the favor, urging her parents to spell to Milan. 

"Our 2 daughters, for 24 hours, they conscionable kept astatine us: 'You person to go. The boys would privation you to bash this. This would mean truthful overmuch to John,'" Jane told Newsweek. "It conscionable means truthful overmuch to our family, and we're truthful excited to retrieve what our boys meant to hockey."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

We speech a batch these days astir what masculinity means. The sermon devolves into caricatures of low-T latte-drinkers vs. looksmaxxing trad chads. But Team USA displays a exemplary that has ever existed betwixt the poles— unsmooth men who relish getting up astatine 4 americium successful frigid temps to get stronger, who volition happily propulsion haymakers for their state and friends, who are uncomplicated successful their pridefulness astir Team USA. That those men tin besides beryllium the ones who support widows and comfortableness children is not a astonishment if you’ve met existent men who were raised good (in this case, by the tough, loving hockey moms and dads successful the stands). 

United States' Matthew Tkachuk (19) carries Noa Gaudreau, pursuing a men's crystal hockey golden medal crippled betwixt Canada and the United States astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.  (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

These men are besides unabashed successful their emotion for the accomplishments of the women astir them. Hughes said 1 of the archetypal things helium thought of aft putting his game-winner successful the backmost of the nett was his counterpart connected the U.S. Women’s team, Megan Keller, who did the aforesaid successful her Gold-medal match. He’d congratulated her successful the cafeteria the time earlier his large infinitesimal came. Megan’s teammate, Haley Winn, was raucously supported by her 3 older brothers, who became viral stars wearing screaming-eagle masks, matching Stars-and-Stripes ensembles, and deploying airy beers from their frat-tactical inferior belts. These ‘Merica-maxxing men besides near their small sister a heart-melting dependable message, declaring her their leader present that she’d achieved the extremity they’d watched her enactment for since she was connected skates earlier she could walk. 

Out connected the crystal aft the Gold Medal ceremony, brothers came unneurotic again, showing that premix of toughness and tenderness the satellite truly needs to support surviving well, adjacent aft beingness kicks your teeth in. 

"We’re reasoning of him, we played for him, and we tried to marque him proud," Werenski said of Gaudreau. "It was an unbelievable infinitesimal having his kids connected the crystal and that 1 was for him." 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Related Article