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For Johnny and Matthew: Blue Jackets play their home opener with Gaudreaus in mind

For Johnny and Matthew: Blue Jackets play their home opener with Gaudreaus in mind

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DENVER, COLORADO – OCTOBER 12: Fans hold signs honoring Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau during warmups before the game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Columbus Blue Jackets at Ball Arena on October 12, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Tyler Sch

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Johnny Gaudreau’s Columbus teammates were given some opportunities to deal with their emotions during the Blue Jackets’ home opener.

If you want to cry, cry.

If you want to laugh, laugh.

The only rules: Play the game like this “Johnny Hockey” would do it, and with him in mind.

An emotional evening awaits you in Columbus on Tuesday when the Blue Jackets host the Florida Panthers. It will be a night full of tributes for Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets star who would have been entering his third season with the club and 11th NHL season overall, and his brother Matthew Gaudreau. They were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on a rural New Jersey road on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.

Blue Jackets will wear a jersey patch honoring Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau

The Columbus Blue Jackets will wear a jersey patch and decal on their helmets honoring Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. The brothers were killed by a suspected drunken driver while cycling in rural New Jersey hours before their sister’s wedding.

“It’s such an unprecedented thing 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 final preparations were made for the Gaudreaus’ celebration. “But we have to.”

The 31-year-old Gaudreau wore the Blue Jackets’ No. 13 jersey. Matthew Gaudreau – who was 29 years old and played five professional seasons in the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League and Sweden – wore jersey No. 21. All 32 NHL teams Wear stickers with 13, 21 and the letter G on their helmets until October 24th. USA Hockey is giving similar recognition to its teams at every level this year.

On Tuesday, the “13” tributes will be visible almost everywhere. Both the Blue Jackets and Panthers will take the ice to warm up wearing jerseys with the Gaudreau name and jersey number 13; These sweaters will be auctioned off and raffled off to benefit the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation. “13” is written on the ice behind the goals. All fans in attendance will receive a “13” patch that Blue Jackets players will wear on their jerseys this season.

And it says the game starts at 7:00 p.m., but in reality the puck drop is at 7:13 p.m.

“Whatever they need,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Monday. “Whatever the fans need, whatever the team needs to begin that healing process, we would be proud to be a part of it.”

Gaudreau — 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds — was a star at Boston College before making it to the NHL. He made his debut in the final of the 2013/14 season in Calgary. He scored his first goal with the first shot in his first game, and from then on his star shone brighter and brighter.

The player who fished the puck out of the net after Gaudreau’s first goal was Sean Monahan, his teammate then in Calgary and his teammate now in Columbus.

“I saw it first hand. He had an impact on so many people,” Monahan said. “I mean, the players who played against him are fans of him and watch him, study his game and try to be like him.”

Monahan probably never had any aspirations to be a jackass. Going forward, the Blue Jackets will strive to be called that.

Johnny Gaudreau used that term – “jackass” – freely and endearingly when dealing with friends and teammates. The Blue Jackets have held a celebration for about a decade in which the player of the game gets to wear a Civil War-style kepi hat chosen by the previous player’s recipient. The Kepi is retired. The player of the game now receives a donkey hat. Monahan was the first to receive it.

The widows of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau speak at the memorial service

Madeline and Meredith Gaudreau spoke out about their late husband, weeks after they were both tragically killed by a suspected drunk driver. Johnny’s wife Meredith announced during her speech that she is pregnant with their third child.

“I’m really glad we kind of did it differently,” Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “I think it suits us. It was a great idea. And you know, we wish the little guy was still here calling us that, but Monny is definitely the guy to get it the first time.”

Guy Gaudreau, the late brothers’ father and a longtime coach, was on the ice with the Blue Jackets for practice in Columbus on Monday and planned to be back for the morning skate on Tuesday. Family members will be present at the game. The honors won’t stop with this game. They will continue in one way or another for many years to come.

“There will be some difficult moments, there’s no doubt about that,” Gudbranson said. “We still miss him.”