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Team USA honored late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau’s legacy by dedicating a special lockerstall where they hung his iconic No. 13 in the stars and stripes.
On Friday, Johnny's wife Meredith shared her appreciation by reposting a tribute video from Hockey USA on her Instagram stories.
In one story, Meredith wrote:
“Always proud of your impact ❤️🤍💙”
Team USA’s tribute video saw Caps prospect Ryan Leonard reflecting on his best memories of Johnny.
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“Just the way he approached every single game. He was just so calm with every single game. It was just like he was going out there and having fun. We emphasize that a lot out here. Just going out there and having fun and being free. That's really what John did out there,” he said.
“That's why he's one of the best of all time. That's probably one of the main takeaways I have from him for sure.”
Ryan shared how lucky he felt to watch John play at Boston College and how meeting him this past summer was a special memory. They played a round of golf together with Kevin Hayes and Will Smith, which Ryan called one of his best memories of John.
“He's up there watching on us. He's wanting us to get the gold for our country. He's in our locker room right now with his jersey and his stall. It's awesome to really reflect on that. Anytime you really look over in the corner of the locker room and you see him, it always puts a smile on my face,” Leonard added.
Meredith reposted the video on her stories, and wrote:
“Thank you 💙 @usahockey”
Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith admires custom baby merch made in honor of late husband
Earlier last week, Meredith Gaudreau shared her thoughts on custom baby merchandise created in honor of Johnny and his brother Matthew by BLK. The navy baby hoodies featured hockey-themed designs, including the numbers “Gaudreau 13 | 21” and a dove logo.
The hoodies had "BABY" written with number 13 on the sleeve, a heart with crossed sticks on the front, and "DADDY" above the number 13 on the back.
BLK the Label is a Tampa-based custom merchandise brand, which originally shared a carousel of close-up images of the special memorabilia. Meredith reposted the pictures on her Instagram stories and wrote:
“The most incredible details 💙💙 Every single part so thoughtful and sentimental”
On Aug. 29, Johnny and Mathhew Gaudreau tragically passed in a road accident near Salem County, a day before their sister Katie’s wedding was supposed to take place. The allegedly drunk driver who hit the brothers is currently under police custody and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
