Team USA kicked off 2026 in the best way possible at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics by slaying the tournament’s favorites, Team Canada. In what was a battle of two titans of world hockey, a string of eyebrow-raising misses from the Canadians and some grit-and-grind hockey from the Americans saw the latter take home the gold medal.
In the celebrations that followed, Johnny Gaudreau’s family were center-stage after Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski welcomed the late Flames star’s kids onto the ice for a team picture.
Johnny Gaudreau’s Father Looks Back on Team USA’s 2026 Gold Medal Win
Johnny Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jean, made an appearance on the May 7 episode of Morning Cuppa Hockey to talk about their Gaudreau 5K event for charity.
The conversation then veered towards their experience in Milano-Cortina, where they were invited to watch Team USA battle it out for the gold medal.
The final between Team Canada and Team USA was defined by the slimmest of margins, with New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes ultimately putting on the cape and bringing the gold medal home for the Americans.
Guy Gaudreau looked back on that moment and had more than a few things to point out about how it all went down.
“How does Nathan MacKinnon miss that wide-open net? Best player in the world, standing there, 10 feet, wide-open net. I don’t know how he missed that, I’m like oh my god, that’s the game right there and he shot wide. That’s unbelievable,” he said on the show.
LIVE NOW: Guy and Jane Gaudreau join the show @Gaudreau5K https://t.co/O0gSapg0Rt
— Colby Cohen (@ColbyCohen36) May 7, 2026
Guy Gaudreau agreed with the host’s take that an angel was sitting on Connor Hellebuyck’s shoulders as he kept the Canadians at bay.
“For me, the summer before everything happened, John had come to me and said ‘You’re training me this summer because I wanna play on that Olympic team, and I wanna be prepared.’ For him to say that, I knew he really wanted to be there.
“It was hard to go there and watch the team play knowing that your son should’ve been out there winning a gold medal himself. There was emotions both ways, proud and very, very sad moments for me. But I’m proud of the guys winning the gold medal. It’s great for the United States and USA Hockey.”
After they wrapped up the proceedings against the Canadians, Larkin and Werenski brought Gaudreau’s kids onto the ice for a picture as the players held up Gaudreau’s jersey.
The late Flames star’s wife, Meredith, and both his parents were in the crowd as Team USA won its first gold medal since 1980.
Johnny Gaudreau would undoubtedly have been one of the first names to be called up to Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, Johnny and his brother, Matthew, tragically died on August 29, 2024, after being struck by an SUV while riding bicycles near their hometown in New Jersey.
