USA Hockey national teams to wear helmet decals honoring Gaudreau brothers

The U.S. governing organization for ice hockey, USA Hockey, announced Thursday that all of it national teams will wear a helmet sticker this season honoring Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau .

The brothers were killed Aug. 29 while biking near their hometown in South Jersey , leaving the Blue Jackets, NHL and the sport of hockey grieving . Both brothers played in the United States Hockey League junior circuit, collegiately with Boston College and then at the professional level, with Johnny Gaudreau, the elder of the two, becoming an NHL and international star.

Last spring, he played for the U.S. in Czechia and became the country’s career leader in points (43) and assists (30) during world championship play. He reached those marks with an impressive 3-8-11 in eight games during his final tournament.

The sticker logo designed for U.S. teams features the name “Gaudreau” in white set over a blue background with stars from the U.S. flag plus the brothers’ numbers (13 and 21) in red. It will be displayed on the back of U.S. helmets.

The Gaudreaus will also be honored by the Blue Jackets and NHL with helmet decals featuring those numbers. The Blue Jackets will keep their decals all season, while the other 31 NHL teams will display their logos from the start of the regular season Friday through Oct. 24, when the Los Angeles Kings host the league's last home opener.

National teams at all levels within USA Hockey will wear the Gaudreau decal for all tournaments and season play, including two teams that play under the direction of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan.

The Blue Jackets honored the Gaudreau brothers with a video being shown at all NHL arenas plus a 13-second moment of silence prior to their first home preseason game. The team will host another pregame memorial before facing the Florida Panthers in their Oct. 15 home opener at Nationwide Arena.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: USA Hockey national teams to wear helmet decals honoring Gaudreau brothers