The hockey community and the entire sports world woke up to devastating news Friday morning. The Columbus Blue Jackets reported the tragic passing of their star forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in New Jersey. According to reports from the New Jersey State Police, the brothers were on a bike ride when a vehicle, driven by a man suspected to be driving under the influence, fatally struck them from behind.
Johnny Gaudreau, who played nine seasons with the Calgary Flames and two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, was a brilliant hockey player in every sense of the word. He had a natural ability to both score and make plays, play on both ends of the ice and was the type of leader every team strives to have. Commonly referred to as “Johnny Hockey” to symbolize his excellence, he proved all those wrong who said that he was too short to succeed at the NHL level. Johnny Hockey, a seven-time All-Star, never took a shift off and always gave it his all.
Johnny was an excellent hockey player, but he was an even better person. Since Friday, countless people — NHL players as well as others — have spoken up about the amazing person he truly was. He was a father, a son, a husband, a friend and a teammate. Those who knew him have been speaking to these qualities, and those who did not know him have been honoring and admiring the type of person he was.
Matthew Gaudreau was also a hockey player, and he and his brother Johnny had a tight-knit bond. They even played together as teammates at Boston College during the 2013–14 season. Following Matthew’s time at BC, he spent a few seasons splitting time between the AHL and ECHL, both minor professional leagues. Later on, he returned to his roots to coach the hockey team at his high school, Gloucester Catholic High School.
In the days following the tragic event, fans have created memorials at the Blue Jackets’ and Flames’ arenas. Fans went to pay their respects and to mourn, with some leaving flowers, hockey sticks, jerseys, posters and letters with personal messages. In addition, all 30 NHL teams in addition to the Blue Jackets and Flames released statements expressing their sadness and honoring Johnny and Matthew.
The Gaudreau family also released a statement. Jim Gaudreau, the uncle of the brothers, wrote on behalf of the entire family, stating that “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.” He also wrote, “We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support and we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers.”
This will definitely be an emotional season in the NHL. Furthermore, it shows that although we as passionate sports fans take the performance of our favorite players and teams seriously, at the end of the day, it is so much bigger than sports.
