Team USA Honors Johnny Gaudreau After Olympic Gold

As the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics wound down, Team USA men's hockey captured its first gold medal in nearly 50 years, defeating Canada in an overtime thriller to secure the team's first gold since the legendary "Miracle on Ice" at Lake Placid in 1980. The players' celebration also made room for a teammate who was not on the roster but likely would have been: skaters carried a jersey marked "Gaudreau" around the ice.

Johnny Gaudreau, a New Jersey native, rose to prominence at Boston College and was drafted into the NHL in 2014. He spent nine seasons with the Calgary Flames before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022, earning the nickname "Johnny Hockey" while playing professionally at 5'9" and maintaining nearly a point per game.

Italy, Milan Cortina

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