Johnny Gaudreau Recieves Heartwarming Nod from Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2

If you've paid any attention to Hollywood funny man Adam Sandler's movies over the last 30+ years, no one needs to tell you he's a huge hockey fan.

The Boston Bruins fanatic has included references to hockey in several of his movies, although none as prominent as the references in Happy Gilmore, where Sandler plays a failed hockey player turned golfer in order to make some money.

Three decades after the first film, Happy Gilmore 2 was released over the weekend, and it again has plenty of references to hockey and the NHL, including a touching, but quiet tribute to Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, who died after he and his brother were struck by a car during the summer of 2024.

In the movie, Sandler's character plays golf while wearing an Ice House Hockey jersey with Gaudreau's number 13. The scenes were filmed in New Jersey, Gaudreau's home state.

While the Gaudreau tribute is getting a lot of notice, two fellow former NHLers had brief cameos in Happy Gilmore 2. Sean Avery and Chris Chelios played henchmen to a mobster. Several pro golfers also appeared in the film, including Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and John Daly.

Sandler (and Gilmore's) love of hockey is always a fun thing to watch, and the tribute to Gaudreau, who was mourned around the league following his death, is a special moment for his family, friends, and fans that will live on for a very long time.