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Team USA hockey player Dylan Larkin said he thinks his late teammate Johnny Gaudreau "somehow" was responsible for "the puck not going in our net" in their gold medal game at the Winter Olympics
Larkin joked, "which is ironic because it's on the defensive side" and Johnny "would've never been back there"
Larkin and teammate Zach Werenski brought two of Gaudreau's children, Johnny Jr. and Noa, out onto the ice to celebrate after the win
Hockey starDylan Larkinthinks his late NHL teammate,Johnny Gaudreau,may have cosmically had a hand in Team USA's win in the gold medal game at theWinter Olympics.
After the United States defeated Canada 2-1 in the highly-anticipated match on Sunday, Feb, 22, Larkin, 29, spoke to reporters, including PEOPLE, about how the team has remembered the former star during the Games. Gaudreau,who died in Aug. 2024along with his brother Matthew when they were hit by an alleged drunk driver, was on track to make the Olympic team.
"Johnny and Matty should be here and that is still the biggest loss that all of us at USA hockey, their families, our family, has gone through," Larkin said.
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Acknowledging the hardship that Johnny and Matthew's families have dealt with since the tragedy, which occurred on the eve of their sister's wedding, Larkin said it "just felt right" tobring Johnny's kids, Johnny Jr., 2, and Noa, 3, out to celebratewith the team after they secured the U.S. its first gold medal in hockey since 1980.
"Johnny [is] family first," said Larkin.
Larkin also jokingly suggested that his former teammate may have beensomehowhelping out Team USA as Canadian stars like Connor McDavid and Nathan McKinnon tried to score the game-winning goal.
"I think part of the puck not going in our net was somehow, that he's standing there doing something," said Larkin, adding that he pictures Johnny "laughing with Matty," as they "just somehow they put a spell around our net where that puck didn't go in."
Larkin also took the moment to poke fun at his late friend and teammate, calling the idea that Johnny, a forward, was playing defense for the team posthumously "ironic 'cause it's on the defensive side, and he would've never been back there."
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Larkin added that the players of Team USA and the NHL "miss him and love him, and we love his family."
Johnny's wifeMeredithbrought their two children to the gold medal game, alongside the NHL star's parents, Jane and Guy Gaudreau.
After Jack Hughes won the game in overtime for Team USA, Guy, 68, was seen crying in the arena.
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In a statement ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Gaudreau family said representing Team USA in the Olympics was one of Johnny's "greatest dreams" and revealed that he had been "training harder than ever" the summer of his tragic death.
"He was determined to earn his spot on that Olympic roster," they wrote. "While it breaks our hearts that John won't be there to live out that dream, we know he will be so very present with Team USA and all of his close friends competing throughout these games."
They continued: "Though the Olympics will be bittersweet for our family, we find comfort knowing that in the hearts of his teammates, friends, and everyone who loved watching him play, John will be right there. Go Team USA. We know John and Matty are watching with pride."
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come topeople.comto check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
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