Johnny Gaudreau’s sister reacts to Team USA’s gold medal tribute

Team USA men’s hockey honored the late Johnny Gaudreau on Sunday when the players wore his jersey and his children onto the ice as they celebrated a gold medal at the Olympics.

Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed by an alleged drunk driver in New Jersey in August 2024. They were in town for their sister’s wedding. The former Columbus Blue Jackets player likely would have been on the team if not for the tragedy.

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USA’s Matthew Tkachuk (19) carries Noa Gaudreau after a men’s ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Katie Gaudreau appeared on Pakinomist Channel’s “Fox & Friends” and thanked the team for what they did.

“Team USA really went above and beyond. It meant the world,” she said Monday. “Even just having his jersey off when Matthew (Tkachuk) went out with his jersey round-to-round with the jersey on. That really meant a lot. And we thought it was just going to end there.

“And then I remember looking at the jersey when they were giving out the gold medals and thinking, ‘Wow, it’s still there,’ and as the celebration went on, when they went to take the picture, they kind of stopped. We were like, ‘What are they doing? What are they doing?’ And I thought I heard them say earlier, ‘There’s Meredith in the crowd,’ and when they went and got Johnny (Junior) on his second birthday and Noah, it really meant the world to us, because honestly, that’s what John wanted for his kids. He wanted them to experience these experiences, these unique opportunities that he worked so hard for.”

TEAM USA MALL HOCKEY HONORS JOHNNY GAUDREAU AFTER WINNING OLYMPIC GOLD

Team USA Johnny Gaudreau’s children pose for a group photo during the men’s gold medal game between Canada and the United States on day sixteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (RvS.Media/Monika Majer/Getty Images)

Team USA won the game, 2-1, thanks to Jack Hughes’ overtime goal. Canada missed a handful of chances to blow the game open.

Katie Gaudreau said she thought there might have been some kind of divine intervention for Canada to have missed some of the opportunities they had.

“They would be very proud. They like a nail biter, so they probably would have chirped everyone. But they would have been proud,” she said. “I think there were a couple of goals that … they might have had a little help saving. They didn’t go in. There were a couple of times where I was like, ‘How did it not go in?’

She added that the grief of losing her brothers was still there, but thanks to the hockey community, she and her family have been able to take it day by day.

“There is no treatment. We are still taking it day by day,” she said. “But because of the help of the hockey community and really North America as a whole, every day we’ve been able to go one step further and I’m so grateful for the community’s help. No parent, wife, sister, child should ever have to experience this tragedy.

Auston Matthews (34) of the United States, Zach Werenski (8) of the United States and Matthew Tkachuk (19) of the United States hold up John Gaudreau’s jersey after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Feb. 22, 2012. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)

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“The fact that we’re still here and taking it step by step to honor the boys and their legacy is really thanks to the community and things like Team USA and what they did yesterday. Just the outpouring of love and support for John’s kids, Matthew’s trip, it’s really incredible what this community can really do.”