MONTREAL -- Team USA welcomed the father of late hockey players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau to its 4 Nations Face-Off practice on Tuesday, hosting Guy Gaudreau as a guest coach the morning after he joined the team for a pre-tournament dinner.
USA's players also insisted Guy be in Tuesday's team photo, according to general manager Bill Guerin. Having the Gaudreau's patriarch with them at the event is one more way the USA is honoring the Gaudreau family. Johnny's jersey and nameplate are in the USA dressing room too, as they were when the USA participated in the World Junior Championship late this past year.
Johnny and Matthew were killed in August while riding bikes near their hometown of Carneys Point, New Jersey, the night before their sister Katie was set to be married.
That tragedy still lingers with USA players who knew the family best, and it's why bringing Guy to Montreal for the 4 Nations tournament was important.
"It's incredible having him around," Chris Kreider, who won a national championship as Johnny's teammate at Boston College, said. "Johnny was such a big part of USA Hockey and meant so much to every single team he played for and obviously represented his country at multiple different stages and played so well. [He] had such an impact on pretty much everyone here. There's a ton of gratitude and appreciation for what he meant to the sport of hockey."
Guerin said it was the players who initiated the invitation to have Guy at their team dinner on Monday night, which also included USA hockey alumni Mike Modano, Mike Eruzione and Rob McClanahan. The former players made memorable speeches to the group about embracing their opportunity to play in a best-on-best hockey tournament and the Gaudreau presence was felt by all.
"Johnny and Matthew are looking down on us and cheering us on," Brady Tkachuk said. "To have Johnny's jersey and nameplate [in the room]; he's part of this team. And then it was a great moment to get [Guy] on the ice. I don't think he [expected it], I don't think he brought skates or gear, but it was really special to have him out there."
"It's still so incredibly sad," Matthew Tkachuk added. "But it was great that Guy was able to come out, and it was really nice that they brought him in here for this."
However long Guy remains with the team only serves to keep Johnny and Matthew's memories at the forefront. And the USA will be leaning on that inspiration from puck drop of its first game on Thursday against Finland.
"[Johnny's] here in spirit," Kreider said. "The biggest thing I took away from playing with Johnny and getting to know Johnny is just how much fun he had in the game of hockey and how humble he was. He was a superstar, but he thought less of himself but so highly of everyone else. He just loved playing hockey."