Of course, that rivalry is all – well, mostly – in good fun, as while players from both countries will be supporting their own during the historic contest, it’s not like any ruptures in the locker room will break out because of it.
The presence of Werenski helps, as the north-of-the-border group knows that if the United States can win its first gold medal since 1980, one of them will be in the locker room in a few days.
“I want Z to have a really good game,” fellow defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “It’s kind of a win-win for us in a sense. If Canada wins, Canada wins, and you’re always happy about that being a Canadian. But No. 2, we have a teammate, a good friend of ours that’s over there living a dream that we all had, and you want him to have the most amount of success, so if the U.S. wins and our boy brings back a gold medal, that’s awesome, too.”
Werenski Making History in Milan
The importance of an Olympic gold medal requires little explanation, especially considering the United States has just two in men’s hockey in the history of the Winter Games. The first came in 1960 and the last in 1980, the famed Miracle on Ice that remains one of the biggest cultural touchstones in the country’s sporting history.
From a Blue Jackets perspective, Werenski is also charting new waters. Already the first active CBJ player to represent Team USA at the Olympics, he is guaranteed to become just the third Blue Jacket to win an Olympic medal and can join Rick Nash (Canada, 2010) as only the second to earn gold.
The Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., native has been one of the key drivers of the U.S. team, posting a goal and four assists along with a plus-7 rating through five games to tie for second among defensemen in scoring at the event. He’s also tied Nash’s mark of five points in 2010 as the most for a CBJ player at an Olympic Games.
Werenski earned three of those points with primary assists in the United States’ 6-2 semifinal win over Slovakia on Friday, making him the first CBJ player ever to post three points in an Olympic game and tying him with Ryan Suter for the most assists by an American defenseman in any game during an Olympics with NHL players.
“To put up three points in an Olympic semifinal, not many do that, I don’t think,” Coyle said. “But am I surprised he’s doing that? No. Z, we just know what kind of player he is and that he's capable of that, but it’s still a very good achievement for him to do that and the team to do what they’re doing right now.”
In 16 games against top-level international competition over the Olympics, last winter’s 4 Nations Face-Off and the IIHF World Championships in May, Werenski has a 2-15-17 line and plus-19 rating.
Captain Boone Jenner has a similar outlook as Gudbranson, as the Ontario native will be rooting for his home country but has enjoyed watching Werenski again prove himself among the top players in the world.
“It’s my roots, Canada, but obviously there’s big No. 8 there on the U.S. that I’m hoping the best for as well,” Jenner said. “What a tournament he’s had. It’s incredible watching him. I'm so happy for him. He had three apples last night again. Hopefully he keeps it up.”
When asked what he’ll be doing Sunday morning, Jenner answered, “Probably the same thing you’re doing.” The eyes of not just the hockey world but the sports world will be on Milan for one of the marquee events of the Winter Games, and considering the talent on hand, it should be a riveting event showing the best hockey has to offer.
“This is the best thing that could happen for our league to have the Americans and the Canadians going at it after that 4 Nations final,” head coach Rick Bowness said. “This is great for our league. It’s great for our game worldwide. There will be millions of people around the world watching that game. This is what we wanted when we went back to the Olympics, and it’s great to see the two best teams are going head to head.”
Gaudreau Connection Remains
Of course, there’s also another CBJ tie to the U.S. team that’s battling to make history Sunday.
Johnny Gaudreau, the CBJ star who passed away in an accident along with his brother Matthew in August 2024, was a longtime member of Team USA squads at the junior and senior levels and would have been an integral part of this squad.
Just as it did at the World Championships, when Werenski brought Gaudreau’s sweater on the ice after the U.S. won its first gold at that event since 1933, Team USA has hung Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey in the locker room throughout the Olympics.
In addition, USA Hockey invited Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jane, his wife Meredith and his kids to Milan, where they attended Friday’s semifinal contest.
“It’s incredible having Johnny’s jersey hanging in our locker room,” Werenski said in a video released by USA Hockey. “Obviously in Columbus, we’re extremely close with his family. To have them be here and be part of this, it’s something that John would be at, so just to honor his memory and his legacy, I think it’s super important for our group and it’s super special for us.
“It gives me chills. He's a guy that was USA Hockey. He went to all the World Championships, he would have been at the 4 Nations and he would have been on this team. He really embraced what it meant to be a USA hockey player and I think every time I see that, I realize the importance of it and I don’t take moments like this for granted.”
Gaudreau wore the red, white and blue at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships, leading the tournament with seven goals in seven games as the U.S. won a gold medal. He went on to play in five different World Championships, scoring 13 goals with 43 points in 40 games.
Given Gaudreau's longtime dedication to American hockey, it’s only fitting that the family is able to attend with a gold medal on the line.
“That’s the way it should be,” Jenner said. “Johnny played for the U.S. in how many different tournaments. I remember playing against him in the World Juniors and he tore us apart there playing for the U.S. and has done it ever since at the World Championships. There’s no doubt he’d be on this team. So it’s where (the family) should be. What they’ve done with Johnny in their locker room is so special. They continue to honor him.
“A lot of those guys on that team are very close to him, so we know they’re playing with him behind them and with them, so I'm happy that the family could go over there and experience that with Team USA.”
