Team USA Honors Fallen Teammate After Olympics Hockey Win

[riversedge]

Source: daily beast


Team USA Honors Fallen Teammate After Olympics Hockey Win
GOLDEN MEMORY
Muskaan Arshad Published 02.22.26 4:15PM EST




MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 22: (L-R) Auston Matthews #34, Zach Werenski #8 and Matthew Tkachuk #19 of Team United States celebrate winning the gold medals with the sweater of the late Johnny Gaudreau after the team's 2-1 overtime victory in during the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The late Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” a member of the United States men’s ice hockey team, was honored at the Winter Olympics after Team USA’s historic gold-medal 2-1 win over Team Canada. Gaudreau was set to be part of the team before his death in 2024. The player was killed alongside his brother Matthew by a drunk driver while they were riding their bikes. Team USA remembered their former teammate by hanging his jersey in the locker room throughout the Games. After their legendary victory over the reigning champions, players brought his jersey onto the ice, along with two of his children, Noa and Johnny Jr., to honor his memory. Gaudreau’s family members were there to witness the legendary win—the first time the United States has captured Olympic gold in men’s hockey since 1980. Gaudreau played for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL for 11 seasons and was the all-time leading U.S. scorer in international play. Gaudreau is survived by his wife, his parents, and his three children, the youngest of whom was born after his death.






Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/team-usa-honors-fallen-teammate-johnny-gaudreau-after-olympics-hockey-win/

---

Team USA Honors Fallen Teammate After
Olympics Hockey Win

www.thedailybeast.com/team-usa-hon... via @thedailybeast

— (@oceancalm.bsky.social) 2026-02-22T21:53:10.857Z

[Botany]

1. Class!

[BumRushDaShow]

2. The Gaudreau brothers' deaths were a big news story here in Philly

(we cover South Jersey's media market)

I saw a picture earlier today after that win where one of the players skated around carrying the little Gaudreau kid.

[mnhtnbb]

3. Apparently the brothers were also legally drunk

when they were killed by a drunk driver. It's no less a tragedy. Still, makes you wonder why riding bikes while drunk at night beside a busy highway was such a good idea.

Gaudreau brothers crash: Prosecutors say blood alcohol levels should be inadmissible at trial - 6abc Philadelphia https://share.google/hFhIFaWxN5hh3GITK

[BumRushDaShow]

4. "Still, makes you wonder why riding bikes while drunk at night"

It was the night before their sister's wedding, so they were apparently doing what bros do before "the big day".

Katie Gaudreau Marries Devin Joyce in Emotional Ceremony 1 Year After Her Brothers Johnny and Matthew Were Killed on Eve of Her Wedding

[mnhtnbb]

5. My point is that people do stupid things

when drunk. Make bad decisions , not just driving drunk. Are reckless. Taking an Uber might have been a better choice.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. They are athletes

and at least didn't get behind the wheel of a car like the drunk driver that hit them - just rode their bikes.

Here are the FACTS -

Driver charged in Gaudreau brothers crash seeking an appeal

By Brandon Longo
Friday, December 12, 2025

(snip)

Police say Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were struck and killed while biking near their hometown. Higgins was found beside his damaged vehicle about a quarter mile from the scene.

A driver who was in front of Higgins told police that Higgins had been driving aggressively. When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and moved left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreaus, she said.

"I've been drinking beers," Higgins told police before performing field sobriety tests. In the video, Higgins stated that he had about "five or six" beers starting around noon on the day of the crash.

(snip)

[mnhtnbb]

7. The fact that they were athletes doesn't overcome the effects of alcohol.

Alcohol impairs judgment by inhibiting the prefrontal cortex—the brain area responsible for reasoning, impulse control, and decision-making. This leads to poor risk assessment, reduced inhibition, and increased impulsivity, often causing individuals to ignore consequences.

Impaired Risk Assessment: The ability to evaluate danger is diminished, resulting in higher risk-taking behaviors.

Reduced Coordination and Reaction Time: Impaired function in the cerebellum and brain pathways results in slower reactions and poor motor control.

False Confidence: Individuals may not realize how impaired they are, leading to overconfidence in their abilities.

alcohol.org

The brothers each had significantly higher blood alcohol levels than the drunk driver who hit them. They put themselves at risk needlessly when they decided to ride their bikes--drunk--at night next to a busy highway. Maybe they would have made the same decision anyway if they hadn't been drunk because they were young and overconfident in their own abilities. Maybe. It's much easier to blame a drunk driver for a tragedy than to accept the fact that maybe the brothers made a poor decision that put themselves in a risky situation because they were also drunk.

Higgins was impaired over the legal limit, with a BAC of .087
the brothers' BAC was higher than Higgins' at the time of the crash, with Johnny being .129 and Matthew at .134.

https://6abc.com/post/gaudreau-brothers-nj-crash-bac-levels-sean-higgins-trial/16151165/