“John wanted to be a part of this so bad”: Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith pens heartfelt reaction to Team USA’s special remembrance of No. 13

Team USA is honoring the late Johnny Gaudreau at the ongoing 4 Nations Face-Off. The team's locker room displayed a Team USA jersey with his name and No. 13 as a tribute and even surprised Johnny’s father, Guy Gaudreau, by inviting him to practice before its game against Canada.

On Saturday, Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, wrote a heartfelt message of gratitude for Hockey USA on X in response to its tribute to the late NHLer. She retweeted an ESPN video broadcasting an excerpt of the tribute documentary Team USA prepared for Johnny.

In the caption, she wrote:

“Classy organization & group of people ♥️. John wanted to be a part of this so bad. Thank you for honoring him. @usahockey. Love you so much John 🤍.”

The video featured Brady Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Charlie McAvoy and Vincent Trocheck sharing their memories of Johnny Gaudreau.

Johnny and his brother Matthew died on Aug. 29 after a tragic biking accident. Since their deaths, the hockey community has found various ways to remember Johnny. Even the U.S. World Junior team honored him by hanging his jersey in its locker room before winning gold.

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Johnny Gaudreau’s former teammate Zach Werenski’s fiancee pays special tribute to late NHL star

On Thursday, Team USA defenseman Zach Werenski’s fiancee, Odette Peters, paid a special tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau’s memory at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Odette shared a photo on her Instagram stories of a custom Team USA jacket for players' partners, featuring Gaudreau's jersey number "13" on the sleeve.

Odette posted other photos from Montreal, where Team USA played Finland in its first game of the tournament. One snap showed Odette and Team USA goalie Jeremy Swayman’s girlfriend, Alessandra, wearing matching jackets with their partners’ names and the No. 13 on them to honor Gaudreau.

via Instagram /@odette_peters

Odette also posted a group photo with other hockey players’ wives and girlfriends and shared a picture from the Blue Jackets showing her fiancé alongside Team USA captain Auston Matthews, both wearing their national team uniforms.

After the game, Zach Werenski mentioned how close they are to Johnny and his family. He also shared that the entire team is aiming to win the tournament for Johnny. Team USA went on to beat Finland 6-1 in its opening game, with Werenski contributing three assists on the night. The U.S. then defeated Team Canada 3-1 on Saturday night.