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During NBC’s coverage of Team USA’s gold medal victory, the most poignant TV images were of the family of the late hockey star Johnny Gaudreau.
Gaudreau, 31, and younger brother Mathew, 29, were killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes in New Jersey in August 2024 just before their sister Katie’s wedding. Eighteen months later, millions of Olympic viewers saw his grieving widow Meredith, two of their three young children, and parents Guy and Jane in the stands during NBC’s gold medal telecast Sunday.
When the U.S. men’s hockey team beat Canada 2-1 in overtime on Sunday, the team’s stars paraded around the ice with their fallen teammate’s No. 13 jersey. Then, the players brought Gaudreau’s two eldest kids, 2-year old son Johnny Jr. and 3-year old daughter Noa, on the ice for the team photo. It was a heartbreaking, but inspiring, moment.
“To be able to get it done like that, to win, to have his jersey out there in the team photo, have his kids come out and be with us, we’re obviously thinking of him,” explained team captain Auston Matthews. “Just felt like the impact that he’s had on so many guys in this room is special. He was with us in spirit the whole tournament.”
Team USA’s heartfelt tribute to the Gaudreau brothers generated some of the Winter Games’ most moving, emotional images. But as with everything at the Olympics, there’s a story behind the story.
This one involves Brian Roberts, longtime chairman and CEO of NBCUniversal owner Comcast Corp., Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics, and USA Hockey, Front Office Sports has learned.
The hockey-playing brothers grew up Flyers fans outside Philadelphia, where Comcast is based. They played for the Team Comcast and Little Flyers youth hockey teams. Nicknamed “Johnny Hockey,” the seven-time All-Star was a lock to wear the red, white, and blue at the Olympics for the first time before his untimely death.
Roberts knows the Gaudreaus are South Jersey legends. When the Comcast chief got wind Team USA planned to hang Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey in a locker stall (as they did at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off), he reached out to Zenkel.
We should send Gaudreaus to Milan, suggested Roberts. Zenkel loved the idea. The NBC executive quickly reached out to Dave Fischer of USA Hockey, who knew Guy Gaudreau, to make it happen. When her father-in-law relayed the invite, Meredith Gaudreau instantly said yes. Next thing you know, the Gaudreaus were on a 10-hour flight to Italy just in time to watch Team USA’s semifinal and final victories.
“The humanity after the awful tragedy shown by our men’s Olympic hockey team was so incredibly thoughtful and many of us didn’t know it was going to happen,” Roberts told FOS in a statement. “As soon as I read about it, I immediately called Gary to see if we could help by inviting the family to be there in person—and the beautiful moments that followed we will never forget—it’s what makes the heart and the emotion of the Olympics so special. We were grateful to play a small part.”
Added Zenkel: “When Brian learned the team was planning to honor Johnny by hanging his jersey in the locker room, he reached out to see if we could bring the Gaudreau family to the Games—and we quickly got to work. In all my decades working on the Olympic Games, this was one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve been a part of.”
Meredith Gaudreau says she saw the Olympics trip as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her and family to honor Johnny’s memory. She was nine weeks pregnant with their third child when tragedy struck. Unfortunately, the young mom had to leave baby Carter at home since he doesn’t have a passport.
“I’m so glad that we were invited. So glad I said yes. So glad I brought the kids. As I’m reflecting on all these videos now, this was all for them,” she told Front Office Sports Wednesday. “I feel like I have two roles in life right now: Honoring John and giving my kids a special life. When those two things combine, that’s all that matters to me.”
In a final twist that Hollywood couldn’t script, Feb. 22 marked both the second birthday of Johnny Jr. and the 46th anniversary of Team USA’s last gold medal, the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.” As Sunday’s nail-biter went back and forth, Meredith Gaudreau kept thinking it was meant to be. After all, her husband had picked Feb. 22 as the date for her to be induced. Sure enough, Johnny Jr. got the birthday present of a lifetime. Team USA sang “Happy Birthday” to the toddler after the game.
“Maybe Baby Johnny will make it to the Olympics one day. That would be very cool,” says Meredith.
Johnny Gaudreau’s teammates have continued to salute him since flying back to the USA. During their wild and viral team celebration in Miami, they broke out in a “Johnny Hockey” chant.
As the celebration continued this week from the White House to the State of the Union address, Meredith Gaudreau got a kick out of seeing her husband’s jersey included in the festivities.
“Its unbelievable that they do this for us. They didn’t have to do any of that. How classy they are with it. They had just won the gold medal. And the first thing they did was think of John. To me, that meant the world,” she says. “Because I was thinking of him the entire time. Obviously, I’m so happy for these guys, so proud of them. But it’s also the biggest reminder that I’m so upset that John wasn’t there to be a part of it.”
Zach Werenski, Gaudreau’s close friend, said he felt the presence of his Blue Jackets teammate during the tournament. Werenski ended up delivering the game-winning assist to Jack Hughes in overtime. When young Johnny Jr. and Noa were carried on to the ice to celebrate with the players, the cameras caught their mother and grandparents in tears. They weren’t the only ones choked up.
In a heartbreaking essay for The Players Tribune, Meredith Gaudreau told the story of how she met her husband in Avalon, N.J., their years together in Calgary and Columbus, and his tragic death. She called him the “best Dad.” It brings Meredith Gaudreau comfort to know how beloved “Johnny Hockey” is in the sports world.
“The respect that they have for John is really heart-warming,” she says. “I’m very proud to see how respected John is across the hockey world by his teammates. They were his closest friends too outside of hockey. I couldn’t ask for more.”
