Shortly after Jack Hughes won the Olympic gold medal for the United States (2-1) in the thrilling final against Canada in Milan, Matthew Tkachuk and his teammates held up a national team jersey with the name Gaudreau on the back.
It honored ice hockey brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a suspected drunk driver in August 2024.
"We wanted to show the Gaudreau family our support. We did it for them," said Matthew Tkachuk.
The two oldest children of Johnny and Meredith Gaudreau were at Santagiulia Arena along with the parents of the deceased brothers, Guy and Jane Gaudreau, AP reported.
U.S. stars Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski carried Noa, three, and Johnny Jr., two, around the ice before taking a gold-medal photo with the entire U.S. ice hockey team.
Johnny Gaudreau was the big star. His brother never made it to the NHL, but "Johnny Hockey," as he was called, had a successful career in Calgary and Columbus.
"We miss him so much, and he would have been on this team. He touched everyone on this ice," said Matthew Tkachuk.
