Key Highlights
- (2:07)Kristen ShiltonMar 1, 2026, 09:46 PM ETCloseKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN. Follow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMeredith Gaudreau -- the widow of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau -- continues to feel the love for her late husband and his brother, Matthew, after returning from a visit to the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan. Gaudreau went overseas with her and Johnny's three children and her in-laws, Jane and Guy Gaudreau.
- The family was in attendance to see Team USA capture gold in men's and women's ice hockey. The men's team honored Johnny -- who was killed along with Matthew when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey in August 2024 -- by placing his sweater in their dressing room and parading it out onto the ice following their victory. Johnny was 31 when he died and played 10 years in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets.
- He would have been a candidate to represent his home country at the Games.
- Matthew, who died at 29 years old, could have been in the stands cheering him on. Instead, it was Meredith and the Gaudreau family bringing them along in spirit to see what the USA would accomplish.
- View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meredith Gaudreau (@meredithgaudreau_) "Our most memorable weekend for Daddy," she shared in an Instagram post Sunday.
