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U.S. team honors Gaudreau brothers at 4 Nations Face-Off
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- U.S. team honors Gaudreau brothers at 4 Nations Face-Off
The United States plays its opening game of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday night in Montreal , and former Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau is with the team in spirit.
Just as it has done for all international tournaments since Gaudreau's death in August along with his brother Matthew , USA Hockey has dedicated a locker stall to display Gaudreau's No. 13 jersey for games and practices in a tournament that began Wednesday with Canada's 4-3 overtime win over Sweden.
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Guy Gaudreau, Johnny and Matthew's father, skated during a U.S. practice session earlier this week as he's done this season in the NHL with the Blue Jackets , Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames .
Related Johnny Gaudreau article: Ahead of Columbus Blue Jackets' home opener, Johnny Gaudreau's dad joins team at practice
The first four games of the 4 Nations Face-Off will be held in Montreal before concluding in Boston for the final three games, including the Feb. 20 championship. It's merely a coincidence, but both Gaudreau brothers played college hockey for Boston College.
The Gaudreau brothers played professionally, including Johnny Gaudreau logging 11 NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames (2013-22) and Blue Jackets (2022-24).
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Johnny Gaudreau also represented the U.S. at the 2013 world junior championships and made five men's world championship appearances, including his final one last spring in Czechia. Gaudreau's three goals, eight assists and 11 points in eight games during that tournament made him the all-time leading U.S. scorer in world championship competition.
MONTREAL, CANADA - FEBRUARY 11: Head coach Mike Sullivan of the United States handles practice as the team surrounds him during media day ahead of the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off at the Bell Centre on February 11, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
He also competed at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey as a member of "Team North America," which was comprised of young NHL stars from the U.S. and Canada. Gaudreau and his brother were killed Aug. 29 when struck by a vehicle while riding bicycles near their hometown in Salem County, New Jersey.
Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is playing for the U.S. in the tournament, which is his first experience of midseason "best-on-best" international hockey.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: USA Hockey honors Gaudreau brothers at 4 Nations Face-Off
