"He should be here with us competing": Matthew Tkachuk gets emotional over Johnny Gaudreau's posthumous presence at Team USA's 4 Nations Final

Matthew Tkachuk and Team USA are preparing for the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada at TD Garden in Boston. Beyond winning the championship, the team is also playing for their late teammate, Johnny Gaudreau, who should have been with them.

Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died on August 29 after being hit by an alleged drunk driver in Salem County, New Jersey. His death deeply affected the hockey world, especially his teammates.

Speaking on Johnny Gaudreau as another motivator for Team USA, Matthew Tkachuk said, per NHL.com,

"Everywhere you go in that locker room, you see his jersey, that No. 13, and you get emotional because he should be here with us competing and playing for his country. We don't take this opportunity for granted and he's one of the big things that we're playing for right now. He's with us. He's looking down on us.

"We know he's going to give us all the strength he can to compete and do our absolute best tomorrow. Him and his whole family, we think about them all the time. I heard his wife (Meredith) might be in attendance for the game, which is super special for us. It's an opportunity we have for so many people, but especially them, to show what we can do."

As Team USA steps onto the ice on Thursday, they know Gaudreau is with them.

Matthew Tkachuk calls it the USA's time

Since the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, Team USA has displayed Gaudreau’s jersey in the locker room. After each game, the players award it to the best performer as a tribute. Following the 6-1 win against Finland, Brady Tkachuk received the honor for scoring two goals.

"We decided to hand it out for the player of the game in his honor," J.T. Miller said on Thursday. "He is with us every step of the way. The whole family is, and we just want to keep it as special as we can, especially keeping the Gaudreau family close to us."

Now that the United States faces Canada in the final, it will be a rematch of Saturday's game. The Americans won the previous game 3-1, but Canada has historically dominated best-on-best tournaments like in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

However, the U.S. team believes they can change that.

"It’s our time right now," Matthew Tkachuk said, per NHL.com.

Matthew Tkachuk fought Brandon Hagel in one of the first three fights in Saturday's game. So, the rivalry will be at an all-time high.