Johnny Gaudreau’s legacy hovers of Team USA at 4 Nations: ‘He’s here in spirit’
MONTREAL — When Vincent Trocheck thinks of the late Johnny Gaudreau, the Rangers forward is transported back to when they were roommates playing for Team USA at the 2013 World Junior U20 Championships in Ufa, Russia.
He remembers how Gaudreau lived on bread and Nutella for two weeks. How he needed to have “Friends” playing on the TV when he fell asleep.
Gaudreau tragically died along with his brother, Matthew, this past summer after they were struck by an alleged drunk driver in New Jersey.
He has seemingly touched every player representing the United States at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in some way.
That’s why his No. 13 jersey hangs in their locker room.
It wasn’t put on display because of an individual initiative, but a mutual understanding between the 23 NHL players and USA Hockey is that they will play this tournament for Johnny Hockey, Matthew and the Gaudreau family.
“Everybody knows that Johnny would be here right now,” Trocheck told The Post after Team USA’s practice in Brossard, Quebec, on Wednesday. “Everybody, I feel like, on this team has at some point crossed paths with him, been able to play with him, been lucky enough to get to know him a little bit. If you knew Johnny, he was such an easy-going guy.
“Everyone loved him. It’s nice to have a piece of him here. We know he’s here with us in spirit. Just trying to honor him as best as we can.”
The legacy of Gaudreau has been a notable presence as Team USA has prepared for its opening game against Finland on Thursday night at Bell Centre. Nearly half the roster was teammates with one or both Gaudreau brothers at some point.
In addition to hanging his jersey and a poster of the USA crest with Gaudreau’s name underneath, Team USA invited Gaudreau’s father, Guy, to participate in practice with them Tuesday.
That’s also when they took team photos. And yes, there was Guy Gaudreau standing next to Devils star Jack Hughes as part of the group shot.
“When he was a freshman my junior year [at Boston College], I always kind of felt like [he was] a little brother who was an awful lot better at the game of hockey than I was,” Kreider said with a smile. “He was brilliant, but he just had so much fun doing it. Treated everyone the same. He was just Johnny.
“He was kind to everyone, he always had a smile on his face. There’s a lot that I remember, but he was just a happy kid.”
In addition to a captivating 11-year career in the NHL with the Flames (nine season) and Blue Jackets (two), Gaudreau won a gold medal with the U20 national team in 2013, a silver medal in the 2010 Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament and a bronze medal in the 2018 IIHF World Championships.
His death may have transcended the sport of hockey, but it has consumed those who shared his love for the game. The young U.S. players who skated to gold at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship last month also hung Gaudreau’s jersey in their dressing room for the entire tournament. After they won the whole thing, the team posed for a photo with it.
Anything is possible when a team rallies around a purpose. And for the U.S.-born NHL players who will be competing in Montreal and Boston, that purpose is honoring Gaudreau.
“He’s here in spirit,” Kreider said. “The biggest thing I took away from playing with Johnny and getting to know Johnny is how much fun he had playing the game of hockey. How humble he was. I mean, he was a superstar. He didn’t think less of himself, but he just thought so highly of everyone else. He just loved playing the game of hockey. The greatest way to honor him, outside of winning, is to enjoy every second.”
