Team USA gold win turns emotional, Johnny Gaudreau tribute shows leadership and room-first culture
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 22, 2026 (11:40)
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Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Johnny Gaudreau, Team USA, Olympic gold, it hit like a lump in your throat.
They won it on Sunday, February 22, 2026, and somehow the best part came after the horn.
Team USA beat Canada 2-1 in overtime, with Jack Hughes ending it 1:41 into 3-on-3.
Matt Boldy scored early, then Cale Makar tied it late in the second.
Connor Hellebuyck slammed the door with 41 saves, the kind of “nope” performance that turns into lore.
Then came the gesture that made the whole tournament feel bigger than hockey as seen above.
Zach Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk grabbed a Johnny Gaudreau No. 13 and carried it around the ice during the victory lap.
Not tucked away, not symbolic from a distance, right there with the gold.
And it wasn’t just for the cameras, either.
Gaudreau’s family was in the building, including his parents, his widow Meredith, and their kids.
Their kids later went down on the ice to pose for a picture with the Team USA players.
Johnny Gaudreau and the United States men’s team
If you’re a Team USA fan, you probably felt proud and wrecked at the same time.
The players have talked all month about “carrying him with us,” and you can see they mean it.
That No. 13 isn’t a prop, it’s a promise.
A win like this can turn loud fast, champagne, chaos, pure ego.
Instead, they slowed down and made room for Johnny.
Gold around their necks, and Johnny in the middle of it.
That’s class, and it’s heart.
Now the bar for “team culture” just got raised in Milan.
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