Johnny Gaudreau was at the Olympic gold medal hockey game on Sunday.
In spirit.
Gaudreau was on the ice when Jack Hughes scored the thrilling overtime goal to lift the Americans past favored Canada, 2-1.
In the hearts of all of the Team USA players.
Gaudreau, the speedy left wing from New Jersey who dreamed of playing in these Olympics, was there as the USA players carried the American flag and Johnny Hockey’s jersey while skating triumphantly around the ice. It was the most exciting and poignant moment since the Miracle on Ice in 1980.
At least he was there in the hearts of all Americans.
And, we suspect, all the people who watched the gold medal game around the world.
The epic victory was also tinged with great sadness. Gaudreau, who last played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his brother, Matthew, were killed while riding bikes and being struck by a suspected drunk driver in New Jersey in August 2024. Their memories live on, especially at the place where their hockey journeys took root, Gloucester Catholic High, a South Jersey school located just across the Walt Whitman Bridge from Philadelphia.
Both players were stars at Gloucester Catholic, and both made it to the pro ranks. Johnny became a seven-time NHL All-Star Game participant. Matthew became a minor league player and later coached at his high school. Both were outstanding people who volunteered countless hours at a special education school where their mom, Jane, has worked for 40-plus years.
Shows its character
Sunday, the proud American team brought memories of Johnny flowing with an incredible display of character and humility. They could have easily hogged the spotlight for the most momentous USA men’s hockey win in 46 years.
Instead, they put Johnny at the forefront.
That meant a lot to Tom Iacovone Jr., the principal at the little high school that the Gaudreau brothers attended.
‘There wasn’t a dry eye in my house. It was happy and sad tears,’ Iacovone, who watched the game with his wife and three children, said Sunday night. ‘I cannot speak highly enough about the U.S. hockey team for keeping Johnny’s memory alive, and for the tribute they gave him. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, and to remember Johnny and bring his kids on the ice.
‘It took my breath away, and the number of Gloucester Catholic kids who texted and called me in that moment just (blew him away). It’s just amazing that in a moment like that, one that’s bigger than life for the U.S. hockey team, and they made the entire Gloucester Catholic family feel like they were a part of them.’
Iacovone said during the Olympics, there’s ‘been a ton of excitement’ around his school. The excitement grew as it became known that Team USA hung Gaudreau’s jersey in their dressing room before games.
Close-knit school
‘I teach U.S. History, I and I have a couple of students who are part of the Gloucester Catholic hockey team,’ Iacovone said. ‘And when we left school on Friday, I reminded them that if USA wins on Friday afternoon, it’s U.S. and Canada on Sunday morning, and everyone was so excited to watch it. We’ve been posting on our social media about Johnny’s jersey in the locker room, and having Guy and Jane and Meredith and the kids all go to the game.’
Guy and Jane are Johnny’s parents. Meredith is Johnny’s wife.
Katie Gaudreau-Joyce, who is Guy and Jane’s daughter, recently posted a photo on social media of Guy on the plane heading to Italy. Coincidentally, Katie is the dance instructor for Iacovone’s 7-year-old daughter, Nora.
It seems like everyone from Gloucester Catholic, past, present and future, is connected, Iacovone said.
‘The Gloucester Catholic family is so close. After USA won, my daughter was wearing a USA scarf with a No. 13 on it,’ Iacovone said. ‘My wife took a picture and sent it to Katie. That’s the kind of community we have.’
Johnny and Matty Gaudreau are at the center of that community, and, thanks to Team USA, the whole world knows a little more today about Johnny’s hockey legacy.
