Team USA will be honoring Johnny Gaudreau at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off.
USA Hockey has a stall for Gaudreau in the team's dressing room featuring a blue jersey bearing his name and his No. 13. To the right sits a USA Hockey flag with "Gaudreau 13" under the shield.
Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver while they were biking the night before their sister got married last August. Their deaths shook the hockey world, and players, coaches and fans are still feeling the impact of their loss.
"We all already know what we're playing for with him and how we want to honor him," Boston Bruins and Team USA defenseman Charlie McAvoy told NHL.com. "We always have him nearby and he is. He's with this team and everybody here knows him in one way or another and what he meant to USA Hockey, what he meant to the game of hockey."
Johnny Gaudreau spent more than a decade in the USA Hockey program. He won gold at world juniors in 2013, earned bronze at worlds in 2018 and notched 11 points (three goals, eight assists) at worlds last May.
Team USA also welcomed Guy Gaudreau, Johnny and Matthew's father, to practice on Tuesday. He got to take pictures with U.S. players, many of whom were teammates with Johnny and Matthew in the NHL, on Team USA or at Boston College.
“They were good boys, and I miss them a lot,” Gaudreau said. “It means a lot to Jane and I and my daughters to have me involved and the picture with the team. It means a lot.”
Team USA will play its first 4 Nations Face-Off game against Finland on Thursday in Montreal. The team will then head to Boston for tilts against Canada on Saturday and Sweden on Monday. From there, the top two teams will battle for the tournament crown on Thursday, Feb. 20.
The NHL will host the 4 Nations Face-Off, an international tournament featuring Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States, from Feb. 12 to 20.
