The NHL community has rallied to support the Gaudreau family in the months following the tragic deaths of late Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. The NHL, USHL, and various franchises and hockey teams at multiple levels have honored the brothers’ memories with a series of commemorative events and gestures.
Various USA Hockey teams have honored Johnny, who was one of the most prolific performers for the international side, across different tournaments this season.
Johnny Gaudreau’s Wife Reacts to Team USA’s Gesture
The USA Hockey team participating in the men’s 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship was the latest to honor Johnny. The team dedicated a tribute stall in their locker room to the late NHL player and hung a jersey with his name and preferred number 13 in the stall.
Meredith posted about it on Instagram and wrote a three-word caption in response to the gesture.
“Proud of u.” the caption read.
The most recent edition of the hockey world championship is taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark, from May 9-25. Sixteen of the world’s top men’s hockey teams are taking part, with NHL players from franchises who are out of playoff contention able to represent their countries.
This isn’t the first time this season that “Johnny Hockey” was honored by Team USA. The Instagram account @hockeyforeverhq posted that the USA hockey team has dedicated a stall to Johnny at every best-on-best tournament the men’s teams have participated in, at the junior and international levels.
Team USA had a dedicated stall for Johnny during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament held in February 2025. They also awarded a team jersey with Johnny’s name and the number 13 to the MVP of each game during the tournament in his honor.
The USA junior team, which won the gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in January, also dedicated a stall to Johnny in which his jersey hung for the tournament’s duration. The team also posed with the trophy and the jersey after the tournament.
13 and 21 with us every step of the way. ❤️ #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/Ct7WKUr0w2
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 6, 2025
Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed in an accident in their hometown of Oldmans Township, New Jersey. The two were riding bicycles on the side of the road at night when they were struck by a car driven by an allegedly drunk driver.
In January 2025, the United States Hockey League (USHL) announced the institution of the Gaudreau Award in the brothers’ memory. On April 12, 2025, Ethan Wyttenbach of the Sioux Falls Stampede was announced as the first winner of the award.
USHL Commissioner Glenn Hefferan and Johnny and Matthew’s parents, Guy and Jane Gaudreau, presented Wyttenbach with the award.
“A special thank you to Glenn Hefferan and the USHL for establishing the award to honor John & Matty Gaudreau. Guy and I were incredibly honored to be invited to Sioux Falls to surprise Ethan Wyttenbach and let him know he was the winner of the Gaudreau Award,” Jane wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).