Before Jane and Guy Gaudreau — the parents of the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau — hopped on a plane to Milan, they were hesitant to accept USA Hockey’s invitation to watch the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team in the semifinals against Slovakia, according to a new report.
Before his tragic death in 2024, when he and his brother were killed by an alleged drunk driver, Johnny was expected to make the 2026 Olympics team, and he had already begun making plans to increase his training to make the push for a spot, his sister Katie recalled in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Last Tuesday, a rep for USA Hockey invited the Gaudreau family to attend the semifinals and the final, if the Americans advanced.
At first, Jane and Guy declined the offer, as they felt it would’ve been a tough trip to make, knowing their son wasn’t there and that their daughters, Katie and Kristen, couldn’t go.
The feeling changed the next day, Katie explained.
“My mom was like, ‘I really didn’t sleep,’” she said. “‘I think John would want us to go. I think we should go.’”
Katie knew the trip could be an emotional one for her parents, but she told her mother she could always skip the gold medal game if the first contest was too hard for them. But not being there at all meant they wouldn’t have the chance to honor Johnny or Matthew.
“‘So this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to honor the boys. And keep their legacy alive. And that’s what we do, every day. We wake up and we just want to honor the boys’ legacy,’” Katie recalled telling her mom.
Jane and Guy, along with Johnny’s widow, Meredith, and their two oldest kids, Noa and Johnny Jr., made the trip to Italy.
The family was in the stands when the United States beat Slovakia and then again when they captured gold in a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Canada on Sunday.
After capturing the gold, Team USA carried a jersey around the ice with Gaudreau’s name and invited Noa and Johnny Jr. onto the ice to be part of the team photo.
“I was like, ‘There’s no way they’re going to do that. There’s no way,’” Katie said. “When they did that, I lost it. I’m so proud. I’m so happy that the kids got to experience that, because this is what John wanted. The team did an amazing job.”
Johnny and Matthew were tragically killed in New Jersey in August 2024 when a purported drunk driver struck them while riding their bicycles. They were home in Oldmans Township for Katie’s wedding that was supposed to take place the next day.
Both brothers died at the scene.
The case against the driver is still in court.
