It was Sean Monahan who scored the Blue Jackets’ second goal on Tuesday night, and as soon as the lamp was lit, Monahan — who was close with Gaudreau — pointed right to the banner that was put up at Nationwide Arena to honor Johnny.
What a moment. It was so sad, but it was a beautiful tribute:
In the wake of star left winger Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic death in August, Tuesday was going to be an unbelievably difficult day for the Columbus Blue Jackets players, staff and fans.
Both the Blue Jackets and Panthers approached the night — the Blue Jackets’ home opener — with class.
After both teams warmed up in Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey, the Blue Jackets made sure to honor Gaudreau’s memory by taking the ice for the opening faceoff without a left winger. When the puck was dropped, neither team played. Instead, they let 13 seconds tick off the clock to pay tribute to Gaudreau’s number.
This was the scene at Nationwide Arena:
The Blue Jackets came out to take the opening draw with no left winger in honor of Johnny Gaudreau#CBJpic.twitter.com/spGFHKIkq0
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 15, 2024
There wasn’t a dry eye in the building after that.
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers made a heartwarming tribute to Johnny Gaudreau on Tuesday.
The 2024-25 NHL season has officially started in Columbus, with Tuesday being the Blue Jackets’ home opener in front of their fans. And, as expected, the tributes for Gaudreau and his brother Matthew — who were killed in a tragic accident that shouldn’t have happened in August — poured in throughout the evening.
Perhaps the most touching moment of all came before Tuesday’s game started, as both the Blue Jackets and Panthers stepped out onto the ice for pregame warmups in No. 13 jerseys, a tribute to the number worn by Gaudreau throughout his career.
Tonight during warmups, both teams will honor Johnny by wearing his jersey ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/WQtaJ34Cr8
According to a Team USA hockey press release, NHL players who are part of the U.S. National Team will wear a special “Gaudreau” helmet decal with both of the brothers’ jersey numbers and dueling hockey sticks this season.
Here is USA Hockey’s executive director Pat Kelleher on the move:
“Johnny and Matthew [Gaudreau], along with their families, will forever be a part of the USA Hockey family. This is a small way to not only honor their memory, but help keep their wonderful spirit for our great game and life in general in the forefront.”
Not only that, the NHL will also have their own decal honoring the Gaudreau brothers through October 24.
Every team will be wearing this decal honoring the Gaudreau brothers on the back of their helmets from opening night through 10/24. The Sabres and Devils are the first. The Sabres got them today. pic.twitter.com/MTKdVo7NYw
Jim Gaudreau, the uncle for both Gaudreaus, released a statement on behalf of the family that’s just heartbreaking.
“Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, two brothers, two sons and brothers in law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates, two friends, but truly two amazing humans,” it said.
It went on to say that they had received “messages of love” and that they were appreciative.
Hockey is a very tight-knit community, and Notre Dame is part of that community. So when tragedy strikes it, the Irish feel the rightful need to know that they’re mourning as much as those the tragedy directly impacts. Unfortunately, that time has come once again.
The Gaudreau brothers’ time at Boston College spanned from 2011 to 2017. The Irish went 7-6 against the Eagles during that time with most games coming when the Irish were a member of Hockey East. But the Eagles went to three Frozen Fours and won the 2012 national championship. Johnny Gaudreau also won the Hobey Baker Award to cap his collegiate career in 2014.
We at Fighting Irish Wire extended our deepest condolences to the Gaudreau family during this difficult time.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
There’s not a single detail in the Johnny Gaudreau story that doesn’t just rip your heart right out of your chest and snatch it in two.
Gaudreau was a beloved hockey player. He’d already made his mark in the NHL as one of the league’s premier players and was only just getting started with the Blue Jackets. His brother, Matthew, 29, was a minor league hockey player, too.
That news alone is incredibly sad. But, with every detail, the story gets worse.
They weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. The brothers Gaudreau were reportedly out for a simple late-night bike ride when they were both struck by a seemingly impatient driver who tried to force their way around another vehicle, according to reporting from ESPN.
We’ve learned the two New Jersey natives had a day ahead of them. The Gaudreau brothers were scheduled to be groomsmen at their sister’s wedding in Philadelphia on Friday.
Here’s the worst part: The driver of the vehicle that struck the Gaudreaus was allegedly arrested and charged with two counts of driving under the influence and death by auto, as announced by ESPN’s Mike Greenberg.
Not only did this not have to happen, but it shouldn’t have happened.
Driving under the influence doesn’t just ruin the driver’s life. It doesn’t just end the lives of the victims. It rips families to shreds.
The Gaudreau brothers should be waking up this morning with joy in their hearts. They should be heading to Philly to play their part in the best day of their sister’s life. They should be tying each other’s ties and fixing each other’s collars, making sure that they’re sharp enough for pictures with the family later. Later tonight, they were going to dance until they couldn’t anymore at the wedding reception.
They won’t get to do that now. Instead, their family gets to think about planning two funerals on their sister’s wedding day.
All because someone allegedly decided they were OK to drive last night when they probably knew they shouldn’t have. Calling a rideshare would’ve saved two lives last night. Thousands more lives have been lost to the same story.
There’s not much to say here, man. Don’t drive under the influence. It’s not cool. It never has been. It never will be. There’s no excuse.
An early exit for Carlos Alcaraz
(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
In one of the most shocking turn of events in men’s tennis in a long time, Carlos Alcaraz is out in the second round of the US Open.
Not only is he out, but he lost in straight sets to unranked opponent Botic van de Zandschulp, who just easily had the biggest moment of his career. You wouldn’t know it if you were watching the match, though.
This is what acting like you’ve been there before looks like. Van de Zandschulp seems unmoved after taking down arguably the best player in the world.
It’s hard to overstate how big of an upset this is. Alcaraz had just won Wimbledon and the French Open. Van de Zandschulp is unranked. Yet, here we are, with Alcaraz’s season over and Van de Zandschulp moving forward.
What a turn of events. Tennis, man. You’ve got to love it.
College football is still a mad house
Isn’t it just the best? Colorado beat North Dakota State after this wild go-ahead grab in the fourth quarter from Travis Hunter.
The numbers in this one were crazy. Shedeur Sanders finished the game with 445 yards passing and four touchdowns. Hunter finished with 132 yards and three touchdowns. Jimmy Horn Jr. had 198 yards and a touchdown himself.
It’s a horrible, stunning loss of a player and person loved by so many, who was in the middle of an already-stellar career. But it wasn’t just him who died. We also have to mention that his brother, 29-year-old Matthew Gaudreau was killed as well.
With information and rumors swirling on Thursday night on social media before official word on Friday morning, here’s everything we know about the tragic accident that killed the Gaudreau brothers:
Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau were killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes
John Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were riding their bikes north on County Route 551 in Oldmans Township on Thursday at 8:19 p.m. At the same time, Sean Higgins, 43, of Woodstown, New Jersey, was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee north on County Route 551, according to investigators.
Higgins tried to pass two vehicles ahead of him and entered the southbound lanes, police said. An SUV in front of Higgins moved to the middle of the roadway, splitting the north and south lanes in order to safely pass the Gaudreau brothers as they rode their bikes on the right side of the road, according to investigators.
The driver was reportedly arrested and charged with two counts of driving under the influence and death by auto
ESPN's Mike Greenburg announced Johnny Gaudreau's passing on Get Up. Within that, he said the driver of the car was arrested and charged with two counts each of driving under the influence and death by auto. #CBJ
According to a post on a popular wedding site, Gaudreau and his brother were scheduled to be groomsmen in their sister’s wedding Friday in Philadelphia. Gaudreau had two young children, a daughter, Noa, and son, Johnny, with his wife Meredith and both were born in Columbus.
Johnny Gaudreau died at the age of 31 on Thursday.
The hockey world was stunned by the news that was confirmed on Friday morning: Johnny Gaudreau, the 31-year-old forward known as Johnny Hockey, who was born in New Jersey and who had 743 points in his already stellar career, died on Thursday.
Per a statement from the Columbus Blue Jackets, he died on Thursday night, and The Columbus Dispatch says there are reports that he was killed while biking in his native New Jersey. His brother, Matthew, also died.
That’s all the info we have as of publishing this post. The Dispatch adds that “he and Matthew Gaudreau were scheduled to be groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding Friday in Philadelphia. Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, is listed as maid-of-honor.”
The hockey world mourned after the news broke:
Columbus Blue Jackets statement on the passing of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew. pic.twitter.com/V2aFykgKIs
Absolutely horrible, Johnny Gaudreau wasn’t just one of the best players this game has seen, he was a father, husband, son and brother. Rest in peace Johnny Hockey. Praying for you and your family ❤️🙏 https://t.co/oFrHKAYa4hpic.twitter.com/lNrw6mChSa
Know where to check out the former Irish who have made it to the highest level.
We understand that most of you come here for football, but Notre Dame has a devoted fan base for its hockey program. A lot of NHL players have come through the program, and many of them even have found great success at hockey’s highest level. And it’s unlikely any of them forget that they once donned the Gold and Blue.
For the 2023-24 NHL season, there are seven former Irish on rosters at the start. That’s three fewer than the start of each of the past two seasons. But be on the lookout for the 24 players with Notre Dame connections currently in the AHL or even the four in the ECHL. For now, here’s who you can watch in NHL uniforms:
