Alysa Liu Makes History With Gold Medal Win at 2026 Olympics
Johnny Gaudreau’s light is still shining bright at the 2026 Olympics.
After Team USA defeated Team Canada 2-1 to earn a historic gold medal in men’s hockey during their Feb. 22 faceoff at the Milano Cortina Winter Games, several players honored the late NHL star—who was killed in a biking accident along with his brother Matthew Gaudreau in August 2024—with an emotional gesture to his family.
As the U.S. athletes celebrated their overtime victory, forward Dylan Larkin and defenseman Zach Werenski invited Johnny’s daughter Noa, 3, and son Johnny Jr., 2—whom he shared with wife Meredith Gaudreau—onto the ice to join in on the festivities and pose for photos with the team as they sported their medals.
The players also paid tribute to Johnny—who had been training to earn a spot on Team USA prior to his passing—by waving his No. 13 jersey as they skated around the rink. The moment appeared to be particularly poignant for his parents Jane Gaudreau and Guy Gaudreau, with the latter wiping tears as he stood in the stands alongside his wife and daughter-in-law.
Of course, honoring Johnny and his family was a no-brainer for Dylan, who highlighted the personal impact of his and Matthew’s death.
Andrea Branca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
“Johnny and Matty should be here,” he told reporters after the game, per People, “and that is still the biggest loss that all of us at USA hockey, their families, our family, has gone through.”
But the 29-year-old found a heartwarming silver lining, theorizing that the late Columbus Blue Jackets winger may have had a hand in Team USA’s success on the ice.
“I think part of the puck not going in our net was somehow, that he’s standing there doing something,” he continued, joking that Johnny and Matthew had somehow “put a spell around our net where that puck didn’t go in.”
To see more unforgettable moments from the 2026 Olympic Games, keep reading…
Xue Yuge/Xinhua via Getty Images
Heartbreak on the Ice
U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn breaks down in tears after missing her triple loop jump during the women’s short program event.
Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images
Gloves Off
Tom Wilson of Canada scuffles with Pierre Crinon of France in a rare Olympic hockey fight.
Hu Huhu/Xinhua via Getty Images
Golden Moment
Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is visibly emotional after winning the country’s first-ever gold medal in Winter Olympic history at the men’s giant slalom event.
He Canling/Xinhua via Getty Images
Across the Finish Line
As the first cross-country skier to represent to Haiti in Olympic history, Stevenson Savart collapses to thunderous applause after finishing the men’s 10km race.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Bello!
Spanish figure skater Tomas Guarino dresses up as a Minion for his Despicable Me-inspired short program.
Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images
Dog Day Afternoon
A dog wanders onto the track during the women’s team cross country free sprint qualifiers.
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images
Canadian Chaps
Canadian curler Marc Kennedy watches his teammate Brad Jacobs apply lip balm during the men’s round robin match.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Slip Up
U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin, also known as “Quad God,” takes an uncharacteristic fall during the men’s single free skating competition, ultimately landing him in eighth place.
Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty Images
Head in the Game
German bobsledder Laura Nolte gears up before training for the monobob, the single-person bobsleigh event for women.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Victory Selfie
Following the women’s snowboard halfpipe competition, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi poses for picture with Team USA’s Chloe Kim and Mitsuki Ono of Japan taken using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition.
Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
From One Olympian to Another
Georgian figure skater Nika Egadze snaps a photo with Simone Biles, the most-decorated gymnast in Olympic history, during the men’s singles figure skating competition.
Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/Getty Images
You’re on Candid Camera
A cameraman films U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin hugging after the second run of the women’s team combined salom event.
Odd ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images
A Small Gift
French biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot has some fun with plushies of Milan-Cortina Olympics mascots Milo and Tina, which she received as part of winning the silver medal in the women’s biathlon 15km individual event.
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Thinking of Home
Skier Dmytro Shepiuk uses a sticky note to send love to his fellow Ukranians after finishing the men’s super-G event.
WANG Zhao/AFP via Getty Images
Scream and Shout
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto is surprised by her score in the women’s singles free skating team event.
JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/Belga/AFP via Getty Images
All the Emotions
Dutch speedskater Jutta Leerdam wipes tears from her eyes after learning she set an Olympic record in the women’s 1,000-meter race.
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Big Air
China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle slopestyle—which earned her a silver medal.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
With Him Always
U.S. skater Maxim Naumov holds a photo of his late parents close after competing in the men’s single skating short program.
Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Twists and Turns
A composite image shows off the many tricks seen in the women’s freestyle slopestyle.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Pierogi Power
Polish figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova holds up a plushie of a pierogi—widely considered to be Poland’s national food—as she celebrates with her teammates during the women’s single skating short program.
Tom Weller/Getty Images
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane
No, it’s Team Austria’s ski jumper Julia Muehlbacher.
Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty Images
Double Trouble
Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp of Austria zoom by during the luge women’s doubles.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Say Cheese!
The winners of the figure skating team event snap a selfie with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition while on the podium.
Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/GettyImages
Never Give Up
U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn looks determined as she attends a training session days after rupturing her ACL in a crash.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Spin It to Win It
Alysa Liu of the United States performs the Biellmann spin during the women’s single skating short program event.
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images
So Close
Team Great Britain’s Jennifer Dodds has a nail-biting reaction to the curling mixed doubles round robin match against South Korea.
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images
Curl It Like It’s Hot
Snoop Dogg, serving as an Olympics correspondent for NBC, tries his hand at curling at a practice.
Tim Clayton/Getty Images
In Sync
U.S. figure skaters and real-life couple Evan Bates and Madison Chock are a perfect match while performing their rhythm ice dance routine.
Federico Manoni/NurPhoto via Getty Images
On the B-rink of History
Laila Edwards, the first Black woman representing the U.S. in Olympic hockey, faces off against Czech player Sara Cajanova during the United States vs. Czech Republic game.
Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Friendship Knows No Borders
Australian snowboarder Valentino Guseli shares a hug with Team Czechia’s Jakub Hrones during the men’s snowboard big air qualifiers.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Leave a comment