Emotions were running high at Nationwide Arena Tuesday night as the Columbus Blue Jackets paid an emotional tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau, who died in a bicycle accident on August 29.
Johnny and his brother Matthew, who also played professional hockey, were bicycling in rural New Jersey when they were hit by a vehicle driven by a drunk driver on the eve of their sister’s wedding.
At his first home game, tributes to Gaudreau came in different forms, as his wife Meredith took the field with his daughter Noa and son John. Blue Jackets star and friend of Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, held John as the team raised a banner with his name and No. 13 jersey into the rafters.
Fans cheered, both teams hit the ice with the traditional hockey salute, and his family watched from the sidelines, arms linked.
Before the puck dropped, the teams stood still as 13 seconds ticked off the clock, and with their left wing position vacant, the Blue Jackets sent four skaters onto the ice instead of the usual five.
The Columbus Blue Jackets paid a touching tribute to Johnny Gaudreau on Tuesday night
The puck dropped and Monahan passed it to Florida’s Sam Bennett; both were teammates of Gaudreau in Calgary.
“I don’t want anyone to be sad,” Meredith said in a recorded message that was played shortly before the confrontation. ‘I want all of you to be inspired by the life John lived. That means loving your family first and foremost, and when it’s time to drop the puck, let’s love the game that John loved.”
The tributes to ’13’ were everywhere. Both the Blue Jackets and Panthers took the ice for warmups wearing jerseys with Gaudreau’s name and the number 13 jersey; Those sweaters will be auctioned and raffled to benefit the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation. There was a ’13’ on the ice behind the goals. All fans in attendance received a ’13’ patch, which Blue Jackets players will wear on their jerseys this season.
“It’s an emotional night for the hockey world,” Bennett said. “I’m glad I can be here and honor his legacy in any way.”
Johnny and his brother Matthew died in a bicycle accident in New Jersey on August 29.
Johnny left his wife Meredith Gaudreau with their two children; daughter Noah and son John
Sean Monahan held John as the team raised a banner with Johnny’s name into the rafters.
Johnny and Matthew’s parents and sister watched the tributes from the sidelines.
The Panthers, like the rest of the NHL, are mourning along with the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau was loved by the players, whether they were his teammates or not. Florida star Matthew Tkachuk, who missed the game due to illness, knows Gaudreau’s affinity for purple Gatorade and bags of Skittles. So all the Panthers players got off the bus in Columbus Tuesday afternoon with Gatorade and Skittles in their hands.
“Johnny was a big part of the hockey community, but to me he was so much more than that,” Tkachuk said. ‘A great friend, teammate and family man. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Johnny and Matthew.
Matthew, who was 29 and played five professional seasons in the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League and Sweden, wore jersey number 21. All 32 NHL teams wear decals on their helmets with 13, 21 and the letter G. on their helmets until October 24. USA Hockey has a similar tribute for its teams at all levels this year.
Both teams wore a 13 patch on their shirts as part of the numerous tributes to the late winger.
The driver, Sean M. Higgins, 43, was charged with two counts of death by traffic accident.
Monahan scored early in the second half and immediately pointed to the banner honoring Gaudreau.
The driver behind the wheel, Sean M. Higgins, 43, of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, was charged with two counts of death by automobile, as well as reckless driving, possession of an open container and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle . in September.
In a virtual court hearing, a judge ordered him held for trial despite defense arguments that he was a married father and law-abiding citizen before the accident.
“It’s unprecedented and something that obviously none of us wanted to go through, and no one ever wants to go through,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said Monday as they finalized preparations for the opener. at the Gaudreaus house. being carried out. “But we have to do it.”