Late Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Johnny Gaudreau was honored by the 4 Nations crowd on Thursday night. Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Watch: 4 Nations crowd honors Johnny Gaudreau with 'Johnny Hockey' chant

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 11:16 PM ET

When the 4 Nations Face-Off began, Team USA made it known they were trying to win the tournament in honor of former Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau.

Gaudreau was one of the best American-born players of this era, but was tragically killed, along with his brother Matthew Gaudreau, by a drunk driver over the summer while out for a bike ride when visiting their hometown in New Jersey.

Gaudreau's jersey has been displayed in the USA locker room throughout the tournament, while his dad, Guy Gaudreau, was a special guest of the team at the start of the tournament for practice.

During the 4 Nations championship game between the United States and Canada in Boston on Thursday, the sellout crowd randomly broke out into a "Johnny Hockey" chant in the third period.

“Johnny Hockey” chants at TD Garden ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ytH3EiULsG
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 21, 2025

"Johnny Hockey" was Gaudreau's nickname dating back to his college days.

Along with being an American-born player, he also had a connection to Boston having played his college hockey at Boston College.

Gaudreau represented the United States at the World Junior Championships and the IIHF World Championships, but never had an opportunity to represent the country in the Olympics or a true best-on-best tournament with other NHL players. His only best-on-best appearance was during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey when he played for Team North America, a team assembled specifically for that tournament of players from the United States and Canada who were age 23 and younger. He likely would have been selected for this roster.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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