The question came 20 minutes into Mauricio Pochettino’s introductory press conference as U.S. men’s national team coach; the first query of the event in his native Spanish.

“It’ll give me a break,” Pochettino joked at the chance to rest his English.

“What was the challenge that made you want to take the U.S. job?” the journalist asked. 

The question got to the root of an issue that hovered over the entire event at a glitzy high rise in New York City’s Hudson Yards development. Why would a manager with such a massive reputation see this as his next step?

The 52-year-old former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager spoke first about the feeling he had meeting with U.S. Soccer executives, and then about the great potential of the sport in the U.S. Then he got to the task at hand: taking the USMNT to a different level. 

“It’s a challenge that takes us out of our comfort zone,” Pochettino said in Spanish, smiling. “For us, the easy thing to do is take on things we already know, and we already have a quick vision and an idea (of how to accomplish it). But here it is about taking on something one does not know as well; getting out of your comfort zone so that you can challenge yourself.

“It is not only about a challenge to achieve things together but also about challenging yourself.”

Whether knowingly or not, Pochettino put himself on a parallel path with his new team. For several cycles, the idea of “getting out of your comfort zone to grow” has been a part of the USMNT’s journey toward improvement. The idea dates back to Jurgen Klinsmann’s era, but it was also discussed often by former coach Gregg Berhalter.

But the idea is about more than just going to Europe to play for the biggest clubs. It is about understanding how to find the right challenges that force you to grow. To get better.

That Pochettino sees this job as a challenge for his own growth was, perhaps, the most important takeaway from Friday’s press conference. The U.S. needed a new voice to push them to take that next step, beyond potential and into results. They will now begin that journey with a coach who has a bigger reputation than anyone else in the room but who is seeking that same type of growth.

Pochettino came across as charming, excited and motivated in the press conference. He spoke about how happy he was to be with the U.S., about the honor of being the first Spanish-speaking Latin American coach in the history of the program, and of his connection with U.S. women’s coach Emma Hayes and the potential influence the winning history of the USWNT can have on the men’s program.

He told a story about learning the English-language term of being “over the moon” in his early days as manager of Southampton in the Premier League and said he and his family are over the moon that he has taken this new job. 

That he switched back and forth between English and Spanish was, in itself, a historic moment and representative of how this hire creates an unprecedented opportunity for U.S. Soccer to reach this country’s massive — and growing — Latino population.

Pochettino clearly understood, though, that reaching fans, both new and old, will come down to one thing: winning.

Pochettino is presented to the media at Hudson Yards (Luke Hales/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Several times over the course of the morning, Pochettino returned to a simple idea that he thinks can push this team forward: belief. He said the word “believe” a dozen times over the course of the hour-long event. For a coach famous for his ability to inspire a dressing room, it hinted at the way he’ll target mentality and psychology as much as he will tactics.

“’Believe’ for me is a word that is a powerful word,” Pochettino said. “You can have enormous talent and you can be clever, but in football, you need to believe. Believe that all is possible. If we find a way to believe all together, then for sure we will achieve.”

Later, he reinforced that idea with his sights set on the World Cup tournament the U.S. will co-host with Mexico and Canada in two years’ time.

“We need to really believe in big things,” Pochettino said. “Believe that we can win not only a game, we can win the World Cup. … We want players that show up, day one at the training camp, and think big. That is the only way to create this philosophy or this idea all together to perform and to put your talent in the service of the team. That is going to be our massive challenge.”

Bringing that belief back will be first on his to-do list as the USMNT coach.

The U.S. was clearly lacking confidence in the September window, something Pochettino said was understandable considering the results in the Copa América. The performances in a loss to Canada and a draw with New Zealand only magnified the issues within the group. Pochettino, though, didn’t seem overly concerned with the overall culture of the group, alluding then to the idea of tapping into the “winning mentality” that permeates American sports and taking inspiration from the winning culture the U.S. women have long demonstrated.

“We are here because we want to win,” Pochettino said.

The video board announces Pochettino’s appointment at the friendly against New Zealand in Cincinnati (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

There were, of course, ideas about how to play discussed as well. 

“We are in the USA,” Pochettino said. “I think to convince our fans, this is about to attract (them), and the aesthetic is really important. We want to play nice football, good football, exciting football, attacking football. And then, of course, we want to have the possession, because we are coaching staff also with a philosophy to have the ball. We need to run, we need to move, we need to give options, good angles to your team-mate. … And then when we don’t have the ball we need to run, we need to be aggressive, we need to be competitive.

“The potential is there. The talent is there. It’s only to create the best platform for them to express themselves.”

While Pochettino acknowledged that those are the trademarks of his team, he also said he wants first to get a feel for his players before he declares how this U.S. team will play. 

That process will start in the coming days, as Pochettino inevitably goes to sit and meet with members of the player pool, chief among them star winger Christian Pulisic. Pochettino said he wants to hear from members of the team individually, to get feedback on how they see things. Then he will gather the group together for the first time next month for friendlies in Austin, Texas and Guadalajara, Mexico.

The process to get a deal over the line has been a long one, stretching more than two months from the beginning of recruitment to his formal introduction. Pochettino admitted it was difficult to wait it out. He was ready to get to work. 

Now, the clock has started. The U.S. has less than two years until the World Cup and a mountain to climb to be ready. They have a coach, though, that few would have imagined would take this group into that tournament.

A coach who now will try to inject belief into and around this team.

GO DEEPER

How USMNT landed Pochettino: Hayes’ role, Chelsea delays and Argentine steak

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(Top photo: Luke Hales/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

DETROIT — The adopted son of this city changed out of his work uniform, turned the corner, walked up three steps, hung a left down the hall and stepped into a room that was all too new to him.

“I ain’t never did this before,” said Jameson Williams Sunday evening, grinning from ear to ear inside Ford Field’s postgame media room, as a group of reporters gathered to ask about a night years in the making.

Upon arrival for his first-ever postgame lectern appearance, Williams’ eyes darted from left to right. He sized up the room and quickly became familiar with his surroundings. He soon looked right at home, smile on his face, discussing his place in the sport that means more to him than most know, after putting a bow on the game of his life.

This sort of spotlight is typically reserved for impact players, the guys relied upon week in and week out by this Detroit Lions franchise. For much of his young career, Williams hasn’t been one of them. Some of this out of his control, some of it squarely in it. But those who know him best believe he’s finally ready to become one.

Little by little, things are starting to slow down for one of the NFL’s fastest wide receivers, as he settles into a community that wants nothing more than for him to make it.

Plenty to love about this connection@JaredGoff16 🎯 @bigsgjamo pic.twitter.com/UroiIF6WKX

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 12, 2024

The community that raised Williams, in many ways, reminds those from it of Detroit. It’s tight-knit. Everybody knows everybody. They look after their own — especially those who have their sights set on more.

This, of course, is St. Louis, Missouri. Williams is from the Show-Me State. It’s all he’s ever wanted to do — show people what he believes he was destined to do. Along the way, he’s had to avoid the pitfalls that come with growing up in an area whose temptations get the best of many. But Williams, thanks to a childlike exuberance that’s never left, has been able to rise above it all.

“He’s somebody that always lifted the people around him,” James Williams, Jameson’s father, told The Athletic. “No matter what circle he was in, he was always somebody that just lifted the circle and gave ’em joy and brought positive energy.”

The environment Williams comes from helped prepare him for the life he’d eventually go on to live. His family is close. They’re also disciplined, using sports as an avenue to teach life lessons. When he was younger, Williams and his family would wake up for 6 a.m. workouts. And yes, all of them have track speed.

James and Tianna Williams, Jameson’s parents, ran track at St. Louis’ Sumner High School, and in college, too. They were high school sweethearts, and together, raised four children who’d follow in their footsteps. James Jr., the oldest, ran track at Northwest Missouri State. Williams’ sister Ja’Inna ran track at Wayland Baptist University. His younger brother, Jaden, ran track at Western Texas and played football at Detroit’s Wayne State University.

And then there’s Jameson, the kid whose top gear was in a class of its own. Well, depending who you ask.

“Let’s set the record straight: I beat him in the last race we raced. He was about 12,” James Williams said, laughing. “…But he is the fastest out of the four kids. His leg strength, his body length with his fast-twitch mixed together, I mean, it’s a powerful potion as you can see on the field.”

Those who grew up with Williams can verify. He was always one of the fastest — if not, the fastest — kids in the St. Louis area. In a family full of track stars, his speed was different. It was easy. The type you can’t teach and the type that came so effortlessly.

This became clear to Isaiah Williams — a childhood friend of Jameson’s in St. Louis, and now his teammate in Detroit — the first day they raced as kids.

“He was never really into track early on when we was younger,” Isaiah Williams said. “At the time, I’m like the fastest in the area. His first meet, he comes out there, we race against each other. He beat me. Then after that, he kind of just took off.”

Took off indeed. That speed, as one would imagine, easily translated to the football field. Truthfully, that’s where Williams was most comfortable.  He put on pads for the first time at age 6. James Williams still remembers the first day his son played a game. When the game concluded and it was time to home, Jameson asked his father to grade his performance in the car.

“Daddy, how did I do?” Jameson asked his father. He gave his son a C.

The fact that James’ harsh grade never fazed young Jameson told his father everything he needed to know — he was having fun. Football was a way to showcase his personality. Williams attributes this mentality to his youth football coach, Corey Patterson, now Purdue’s wide receivers coach. Williams and his teammates were encouraged to be themselves, to maximize their talents on the field. He never lost sight of it, never lost the spark.

“The way he taught us how to play the game is just to have fun,” Williams said. “We was out there, he’ll tell us to celebrate. When Terrell Owens did the popcorn celebration, he had us do that in little league. So, like, he just used to instill that into us to just have fun in the game. I fell in love with the game at early age, so I just wanted to go to the NFL. That was my main goal since I was like six years old. I wanted to play in the NFL.”

Waymo score, Waymo celly (a lot) pic.twitter.com/B2oB79GSCg

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 10, 2024

A lot of kids will say their goal is to play in the NFL, but in high school, it became less of a pipe dream and a real possibility. But first, there was a process to this. Williams had to pick a school that would best prepare him for the next level

A four-star prospect ranked among the top 125 players in his class, his recruitment came down to Ohio State and Alabama. It’s a dream situation for any high school receiver, but one that ultimately led to back-and-forth conversations between Williams and his father. Williams says he liked Ohio State because he envisioned greatness playing alongside fellow top recruit and close friend Garrett Wilson. James Williams, meanwhile, saw Alabama as the better fit. He believes his son is at his best when he’s most comfortable, and felt Alabama’s coaching staff — led by Nick Saban — would create that environment. Same time, he knew his son needed to reach a decision on his own.

Williams chose Ohio State. Looking back, there’s some regret.

“I really think I rushed myself to commit,” Williams said. “I feel like, honestly, I didn’t make the right decision going to Ohio State because it didn’t play out well for me. But you know, things happen and I made it out of there and I ended up where my dad wanted me to be and where I really wanted to be.”

At Ohio State, Williams never quite felt like home. Change occurred. The head coach Williams committed to, Urban Meyer, resigned three months after Williams committed and shut down his recruitment. New coach Ryan Day took over. Williams was staring at a receiver room that consisted of future NFL receivers Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and a young Marvin Harrison Jr., among others. The opportunity and fit weren’t right for Williams. By the end of his sophomore year on campus, he had just 266 receiving yards in 19 games to his name.

So Williams hit the transfer portal — in search of comfort. It led him back to Saban.

“I saw his recruitment as a piece of necessity where he has to be comfortable in order for him to perform at his best,” James Williams said of his son. ” I’ll say this: I love the way Nick Saban is as a human being. And meeting him and being able to talk to him personally, he’s just, I mean, he never changes. It’s not like he’s putting on an act. And I always felt that way about him.”

Alabama’s recruitment of Williams was unlike any other program. Saban facetimed him, something James Williams says he didn’t often do unless you were a top target. There were house trips, more meaningful conversations, a plan for how to use him. It made for an easy transition because Williams immediately felt at home. He’d be going up against complex defenses and DBs that were league-bound. He put his trust in Saban, in perhaps his final chance at reaching his NFL goal. Saban didn’t let him down.

In his final year of college football, Williams saved his best for last. He recorded 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns during the 2021 season. He was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. He helped his quarterback, Bryce Young, win the Heisman Trophy. And he helped Saban and Alabama return to the National Championship.

For anyone questioning Williams’ love of the game, look no further than that National Championship. Georgia vs. Alabama. Two heavyweights, littered with pro talent. In the second quarter, tied at 3 apiece, Williams found himself wide open against a stacked Georgia defense. He hauled in the pass, made a move upfield, planted his leg awkwardly and quickly fell. There on the ground, he lingered,  grabbing his knee.

Deep down, Williams knew what happened. He’d torn his ACL in the final game of his career, in the middle of a championship game. He just didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to accept it.

He pleaded to continue playing — wanting so badly to be there for his teammates and the coach who took him in. But Alabama doctors didn’t let him. After all, he had a future to worry about.

“I was finna come back out, I promise you,” Williams says of that day. “I knew it was everything. I was in the locker room. I was running around and everything. I ran. I was running on it. I was about to come back out, but the head doctor, he actually came in there and stopped everything. …We was in (Lucas Oil) stadium. They got a little hallway. I was running back and forth. I was like, ‘I’m ready. I’m gonna go back out, man.’ But then the head doctor overruled everything. …He told me it was best to sit down.”

A few months later, despite not being able to partake in the pre-draft process, Williams’ dreams became reality. The Detroit Lions traded up from pick No. 32 to 12 to acquire him — torn ACL and all.

“He’s got great speed, but man, I’ll tell you what, this guy’s got a lot of competitive character,” Saban said of Williams ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. “He’s got a lot of dawg in him. …I really love Jameson. He added so much to our program, and when you’ve got wide receivers on your team that have great competitive character, that’s really helpful to the development of the whole group. I think he did a wonderful job in that regard, as well.”

The love remains mutual. To this day.

“That’s my guy, man,” Williams said earlier this year, when news of Saban’s retirement spread. “I just appreciate everything he’s done for me. He did a lot for me. I feel like without him, I wouldn’t be in this position today — this same exact position I am today. I just thank him for everything.”

Jameson Williams found a home with his teammates in Detroit, even as his first two seasons came with major disruptions. (Junfu Han / USA Today)

The Lions are a franchise that places a considerable emphasis on character, work ethic, love of the game. Perhaps more than most.

When general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell arrived in Detroit, they mutually agreed to create an environment driven not by guys who simply play football, but by “football players,” as they so often say. Williams is very much the latter.

This is a guy who played gunner at Alabama and took pride in doing so. He loves to block. He’s quick to hype up his teammates and defend them. As a rookie recovering from the knee injury, you could often find him on the sideline in street clothes during games, chirping back at opponents who got in the face of fellow Lions.

Don’t let that smile on his face fool you. This game, and the opportunities it’s presented him, means the world to him. He takes nothing for granted.

“He truly has a love for the game of football,” Tianna Williams told The Athletic. “When the fans pour into him and he’s able to bring excitement to them and the game, it makes him happy and wants to continue to take his game to another level.”

“You know, football was a way out for me,” Williams said. “Being from St. Louis, it’s a lot of bad things going on. Killing, robbing, stealing. A lot of people don’t make it out. It’s a lot of people who don’t even get a chance to make it out. It’s just motivation for me.”

When Williams is away from football, those close to him say he’s not himself. The kid who’s always laughing disappears. He gets in his head. He can go silent. It’s something he’s had to deal with more in the last two years than at any other point in his life.

The road back from his torn ACL was the longest Williams had gone without football. The following year, a gambling suspension — in which he bet on non-NFL games from an NFL-designated facility — kept him away again. Two interrupted years.

Williams, admittedly, went to a dark place.

“If you take away the one thing that he absolutely enjoys and the one thing he’ll retreat to for mental health — you know,” James Williams said, taking his time, searching for the words. “When you take that away, it was a little quiet.”

Suspended for a month, away from the game he loves, Williams relied on his community. His younger brother Jaden — aka “Slim” — was there by his side. His parents were there for him. So were friends he considers family. And his Lions teammates. Williams is the little brother of this locker room. His personality is infectious, and so is his desire to be great. He’s one of them.

“That’s my guy,” Lions linebacker and captain Alex Anzalone said of Williams — his locker mate in Detroit. “..I love his energy. He’s one of those guys that has that dawg in him. To me, he just has the right football mentality that I kind of correlate with. It geeks me up a little bit. Not everyone’s like that.”

Williams had a village. And so, with support from the people who matter most, he put his head down and worked.

There was a set schedule of workouts during his time away. He’d complete two-a-day sessions — one in the morning and one in the afternoon. He has a JUGS machine at home, catching 100 balls a day. Extra work was put in on his own. All to make up for lost time and stay ready when called upon.

Finally, two games earlier than the NFL initially stated, Williams received a call from Holmes.

“What’s the best news that you could receive?” Holmes asked Williams.

“Besides me playing?” Williams said in response.

“Dude, that’s it,” Holmes told him. “You’re back.”

Everyone who’s been around Jameson Williams over the last 11 months or so will tell you the same thing: he’s ready.

Folks in Allen Park saw signs of it last year. When Williams returned from his suspension in October 2023, they felt he was more locked in than ever before. If there was growing up to do prior to his four-game absence, that growth occurred during his time away. James Williams said his son did some soul-searching. People around the team say he was more professional, more confident, more comfortable. He so badly wanted to be one of the guys, and everyone around him saw the steps he was taking to become one. It’s carried over this offseason.

“If you said, ‘Give me one player who is the most improved from that start to finish over that time?’ Jamo is that guy right now,” Campbell said of Williams this offseason. “He is a man on a mission, and I’m just going to leave it at that.”

“Those two years, he showed tremendous growth, showed tremendous growth as a person and as a player,” Holmes said. “So I see it as actually it’s been a good thing because now he’s out there and you can clearly see the maturation in his game. It’s been a joy to see this year.”

“You can clearly see the maturation in his game.”

Brad Holmes and Ray Agnew on Jameson Williams pic.twitter.com/UcfFUhPCr2

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 29, 2024

It all led to the 2024 opener. An offseason full of hype and expectations, Williams took the field with the starting offense, as the Lions faced the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.

His player intro?

Jameson Williams. Bama.

What we saw that night was a glimpse of the player Williams was drafted to be. He finished with five receptions for a career-high 121 yards — highlighted by a 52-yard touchdown — in a 26-20 Lions win over the Rams. It was the fourth-most yards of any player in Week 1. His average separation score of 0.500 ranked third among receivers and his WR win rate of 42.9 percent ranked fourth, per Fantasy Points Data (min. 15 routes). He was the focal point of one of the league’s best offenses, and often carried it on a night it largely otherwise struggled to produce.

After the game, the NBC crew gave the game ball to quarterback Jared Goff, after once again beating his former team.

But Goff handed the ball to Williams.

“That’s him right there,” Goff said, looking at Williams, as Williams nodded back at him. “He played big today. It was huge.”

When Williams entered the room for his postgame press conference, he did so with that game ball in hand. He looked down at it. Tossed it around. Admired it. Tucked it high and tight.

He held the ball like his life depended on it. Because in many ways, it does.

“I never got a game ball,” Williams said. “Not at ‘Bama, not at nowhere. I ain’t even gonna lie, this right here, this might not leave my hands. I might sleep like this.”

It’s unclear if he did that night. But what is clear, now more than ever, is that Williams is one of the guys.

He’s become an indispensable piece on a roster that believes it can win the Super Bowl. He has opportunities to be a factor. He embraces this community, and in turn, it embraces him right back. There’s a deep level of comfort here — the kind that tends to bring out the best in Williams. Back in January, when asked about Detroit and the city he now resides in, he told reporters he plans to be here a long time.

If he continues on his current trajectory, he will be.

(Top photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

In the hours after the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that star forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew had been killed, team president and general manager Don Waddell said he received 500 or so text messages.

One hit him even harder than the rest. It was from Graham and LuAnn Snyder.

On Sept. 29, 2003, the Snyders’ son, Dan, was critically injured when a car driven by Atlanta Thrashers teammate Dany Heatley was involved in a single-vehicle crash. Snyder died six days later.

More than 20 years later, the family is still in touch with Waddell, who was the Thrashers’ GM at the time. The message they sent on Aug. 30, the morning after a car struck and killed the Gaudreau brothers, wished the organization strength and had a simple message to Waddell: that there was no doubt he could lead the organization through this tragedy, just as he did the Thrashers.

“I think it’s important in those moments that you feel some support or love from somewhere,” Graham Snyder told The Athletic. “Because the emotions are just so high.

“When I woke up and first heard the news and saw the headline and started reading … it took me about a minute and I said, ‘Oh, my God. It’s Don again.’ I knew he had moved to Columbus.

“I thought, ‘Oh jeez, Don, how are you going to get through this?’”

Once again, he must lead a grieving organization through so much pain. And yet also, at a time when hockey does not feel remotely important, he must somehow, someway, try to get it ready to play hockey again, too.

“Nobody wants that job, but he certainly helped us, and the organization did,” Graham Snyder said. “I just felt we had to reach out to him. Because who can think about going through that twice in your life?”

The message hit home.

“When Graham and LuAnn reached out to me that Friday, it meant the world to me,” Waddell told The Athletic. “Because the family went through it, losing one of their two sons, that’s never easy for anybody. How they dealt with it and how we’ve stayed in touch over the years, it just meant the world to me to hear from them knowing that as parents who went through it, (they) felt we handled it as well as we could of and supported them.

“They’re good people.”

Graham Snyder has vivid memories of speaking to Thrashers players after his son’s death in 2003 and wishing them the strength to carry on.

“I remember going into the Thrashers dressing room in Atlanta, and I don’t know, there was some strength that came from somewhere,” Snyder said. “Just a calm that came over me and I started talking to the team about what needed to happen and that we were there for them.”

As Snyder remembers it, the support from people around the sport was so important.

“One of the things that kind of got us through it, and it’s what is happening right now in Columbus and around the hockey world, people are really, really coming together,” Snyder said. “I think it’s like no other sport. The hockey world is so connected and so tight.

“That’s how they’ll get through it now, with the support from others in the hockey world.”

The Jackets have felt that.

“Yes, 100 percent,” Waddell said. “It’s pretty evident by all the players that came out to the funeral — a lot of players that played with him but also a lot of players that didn’t play with him. This has had an impact not just on the Blue Jackets but the whole National Hockey League. And for that matter, the whole country. I’ve heard from so many people that didn’t know the Gaudreau family but saw all the stories and just wanted to be supportive and ask what they could do to help out. It was touching.”

The idea now is to honor Johnny Gaudreau’s memory by playing for him.

“If it’s anything like it was in Atlanta, the emotions will carry them through for a while,” Snyder said.

Right now, the Jackets are surely still in a fog of pain and shock. But they need to find the strength to move on.

“We’re all devastated for the Gaudreau families,” Waddell said. “You don’t ever think that parents should be burying their kids. There isn’t a moment that goes by that you’re not thinking about the families.

“From a team standpoint, we know it’s going to be hard. But we also listened to (Johnny’s wife) Meredith when she talked at the church. She knows that Johnny wants the best for us. I know guys have talked about it, that he would want us to go out and do what we’re capable of doing and try to win as many hockey games as we can.”

GO DEEPER

‘Let’s keep their stories alive’: Team candlelight vigils for Gaudreau brothers allow fans, players to mourn together

Getting the players as much help as they need is paramount.

“Everybody grieves and mourns differently,” Waddell said. “You don’t expect that people can get through this by themselves. The union (NHLPA) has been great. They’ve offered up multiple grief counselors.”

Waddell added that starting this week through Ohio Health, the Jackets also have people on-site who can speak with players.

It will be a difficult process in the days ahead.

“We have to try and figure out how to get through the healing process and continue to move forward,” Waddell said.

And as Waddell noted, the Blue Jackets just three years ago lost young goalie Matiss Kivlenieks to a tragic death as well, an event that still scars many in the organization.

GO DEEPER

Johnny Gaudreau’s death devastates a Blue Jackets organization already familiar with tragedy

It’s no easy path here. But just the hope that somehow everyone will find the strength.

“This was a senseless and cruel way for people to lose their life,” Waddell said.

It is a tragedy that will forever be with so many affected. But somehow, through that, the Jackets will honor the spirit of a player beloved by teammates. And within that, they will want to continue to help a grieving Gaudreau family in any way possible.

The Snyders felt that from the Thrashers 21 years ago.

“They were so much behind us and supportive,” Snyder said. “It was truly amazing and truly touching.”

(Photo: Kirk Irwin / Getty Images)