The Columbus Blue Jackets’ first home game of the 2024-25 season was an emotional one as the organization honored left wing Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed in an accident during the offseason.
The team shared a video tribute to their late teammate on the Nationwide Arena scoreboard before the game, with fans and players observing 13 seconds of silence to match Gaudreau’s uniform number.
Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on August 29 when an allegedly drunk driver struck the pair while they were riding bicycles near their hometown in New Jersey. The brothers were together to celebrate their sister Katie’s wedding, which was to be held the next day. Johnny and Matthew were 31 and 29, respectively.
Police have charged the driver with two counts of death by auto, reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. Katie and her fiancé, Devin Joyce, canceled their wedding in light of the tragedy.
The Blue Jackets defeated the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, September 25, 3-0 in their second preseason game of the year. More than 10,000 fans were on hand for the ceremony and game.
The Blue Jackets will continue to honor their teammate and his brother this season with helmet stickers that say “Gaudreau,” flanked by two doves and the players’ uniform numbers — 13 for Johnny and 21, the number Matthew wore when he played for Boston College. The team will add a commemorative patch to its uniforms beginning with its first regular season game on October 10.
In addition, Johnny’s jersey still hangs in the Columbus locker room.
“I think you put yourself in some of these situations where you’d have John around,” Blue Jackets player Sean Kuraly said. “Thinking about him all day, obviously. Drive to the rink and a lot of times I’d pick him up on the way. So he’s not there for that. I spent a lot of the day thinking about John. When he’s not there with us, it’s a tough day.”
Nicknamed “Johnny Hockey,” Johnny played nine seasons for the Calgary Flames before signing a seven-year contract with the Blue Jackets in the 2022 offseason. In his first season in Columbus, Johnny was named an NHL All-Star for the seventh time in his career and earned his first NHL First All-Star Team honor, given to the best player at each position during the season.
Columbus will play its first regular season home game on October 15 against the Florida Panthers. The team’s traditional opening night festivities, however, will be postponed to their second home game, two nights later, so that opening night can feature more tributes to Johnny and Matthew.
