Auston Matthews Awards Johnny Hockey Player of the Game Jersey After Dominating Performance
Johnny Gaudreau's jersey serves as inspiration For Team USA and Auston Matthews awarded the sweater to teammate Brady Tkachuk after his stellar performance -- a true class act.
There wasn't much Team Finland could do against the powerhouse USA team. Led by the Tkachuk Brothers, the group cruised to a 6-1 victory as they firmly set their sights on a hotly anticipated matchup with Canada on Saturday.
But it was another set of brothers that provided inspiration -- with at least one of them immortalized in the locker room.
The deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau this past summer sent shockwaves through the entire hockey world. Tributes poured in, and though both men are gone -- they are never forgotten.
That rings true for the United States team. Gaudreau would have made the team no question, and his energy and positivity would have made such an intense tournament a bit calmer.
Typically, a player of the game is handed a game ball, or a championship belt. But this holds so much more significance. Gaudreau's spirit is always going to be with the team and can be used as a spark of hope and motivation in the darkest of times.
Matthews handed the jersey to Brady Tkachuk and the two embraced. It was well deserved too, as Tkachuk had two goals and was a driving force behind USA's dominance over Finland.
This season, Tkachuk has been fantastic. In 56 games he has 21 goals and 23 assists while helping Ottawa to get to first for the wild-card spot -- and with performances like Thursday from Tkachuk -- they certainly will.
He too has his sights set on facing Canada on Saturday night and had some pretty big praise for the matchup as well:
Tkachuk will have to deal with a raucous and passionate Canadian crowd, and there's definitely going to be some booing during the pre-game announcements and anthem no doubt.
But through all the drama, through all the intensity; one thing remains concrete:
Johnny Gaudreau's legacy will last forever, especially within the hearts of his American brothers.
