Rangers’ Chris Kreider makes 4 Nations debut honoring Johnny Gaudreau: ‘He’s here in spirit’
When the 4 Nations Face-Off moved from Montreal to Boston this week, an opportunity opened up for New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider in the city where he starred previously at Boston College. After he was a healthy scratch the first two games in Montreal for the United States, Kreider suited up Monday at TD Garden
Though a very special moment in his career, Kreider couldn’t help but think of his former BC teammate, the late Johnny Gaudreau, who should’ve been here to share in this moment with him as a Team USA teammate.
“He’s here in spirit,” Kreider told NHL.com. “I guess the biggest thing that I took away from playing with John and getting to know John is just how much fun he had in the game of hockey. How humble he was. He was a superstar, but he didn’t think less of himself, or he just thought so highly of everyone else. He just loved playing the game of hockey.”
Kreider grew up in Boxford, Massachusetts, 26 miles from where he’d go on to play NCAA hockey at Boston College for three years. He chose to come back for his junior year in 2011-12 instead of making the jump to the NHL – a decision that led to an unforgettable season.
He had 45 points in 44 games, en-route to a national championship victory, 4-1 over Ferris State. Scoring one of the Eagles goals in that game was Gaudreau, shining bright on the biggest stage as only a freshman.
Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed in a biking accident Aug. 29, leaving the hockey world heartbroken. USA Hockey has done its best to honor the family, including hanging a No. 13 Team USA jersey in the locker room throughout the 2025 World Junior Championship and posing with it after capturing the gold medal
Similarly, a Gaudreau jersey has accompanied Team USA in each locker room they’ve occupied so far in the 4 Nations Face-Off. After each win, the jersey has been awarded to the player of the game, starting with Brady Tkachuk after their 6-1 win over Finland on Thursday.
“He’s always going to be with us every single step of the way here,” said Tkachuk after putting the jersey on. “The whole Gaudreau family, we’re here to play for them.”
”It just goes to show you the kind of impact he had on everyone that he played with, every person that he came across,” Kreider said before the game Monday. “It’s a really beautiful thing the way that U.S. hockey is celebrating him.”
Gaudreau’s father, Guy, skated with the team at practice before the tournament began, just as he did with the Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets before the NHL season started.
Though Kreider had the special moment of playing in a USA sweater in the same city where he played college hockey, he should have been doing it alongside Gaudreau, whose absence has been a driving force for the team.
“Wish we could be there cheering for Daddy,” Gaudreau’s widow Meredith said on an Instagram story. “Thank you. Go USA.”
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Rangers’ Chris Kreider scores only U.S. goal in 2-1 loss to Sweden
After spending the tournament’s first two games in the press box, Kreider wasted no time getting on the score sheet Monday when the United States played Sweden. Kreider knocked a rebound in off of a shot from Zach Werenski that bounced off of Samuel Ersson’s pads on his first shift, only 35 seconds into the game.
“It was awesome, first shift, too,” said his Rangers teammate J.T. Miller. “Chris has been a hell of a teammate and to get the chance to come in today and produce and get on the scoreboard, happy for him.”
Kreider was the odd man out in the first two games but got the opportunity to make his debut when Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk sat as a precaution to nurse injuries ahead of the championship match against Canada on Thursday. Additionally, Kreider’s long-time linemate Mika Zibanejad didn’t play for Sweden because of the flu.
The game had no impact on the tournament’s standings, but there’s no such thing as a meaningless game when representing your home country. Though Team USA ended up losing 2-1, Kreider’s goal will undoubtedly be a memory he reflects fondly upon, with his thoughts influenced by Gaudreau.
“The biggest thing I took away from playing with and getting to know Johnny is how much fun he had playing the game of hockey,” Kreider said. “The greatest way to honor him, outside of winning, is to enjoy every second.”
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