For a man that could bring 20,000 people to a fever pitch on an NHL rink, perhaps the biggest honor Johnny Gaudreau could receive was the quiet that fell on Columbus last night.
As thousands of Blue Jackets fans and his teammates gathered for a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, you could have heard a pin drop outside of Nationwide Arena during 13 minutes and 21 seconds of silence to honor the pair.
As a slideshow played featuring pictures of the brothers’ lives and hockey careers, a community continued to bond after the sudden and tragic passing of the two last Thursday night.
No one knows when we’ll all feel anything close to normal again. Simply put, the old normal for us may never exist again after another devastating yet all-too-familiar loss. But Wednesday night, at least we were together, standing shoulder to shoulder, determined no one will face this alone.
While there was grief in the faces and voices of Blue Jackets players, there was comfort and joy in the stories they told about their teammate. While there were tears shed by the fans, there was strength in the bond shared between a community and its team.
For as empty as we all feel in this moment, the Gaudreau family has lost two sons, husbands, brothers and fathers; we cannot begin to imagine their sense of loss.
Yet Wednesday night affirmed we remain in this as one. While hockey is the binding tie for everyone who came together, it was clear that the thing most important to the Gaudreaus in life – family – was also on full display in Columbus.
“It means the world to our dressing room that you guys are not only standing by us during tough times in the hockey season but when it matters most,” Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson, a close friend of Johnny Gaudreau, told the crowd. “Our hearts are shattered in a million pieces, there’s no doubt about that.”
The loss of the Gaudreau brothers remains “immeasurable and impossible to comprehend,” as Blue Jackets president of hockey operations Don Waddell described it, but Wednesday was a part of a healing process that will continue Monday afternoon when a memorial service is held.
In addition to last night’s vigil, Blue Jackets players and Waddell addressed the media during the afternoon to share stories about the Gaudreau brothers, send condolences to the family and express their grief.
After spending the past two seasons with the Blue Jackets, Johnny was remembered throughout the day for his dedication to those close to him, his outstanding playing skill, his famously finicky eating habits, his boundless competitive spirit, his love of the Philadelphia Eagles, and for an easygoing smile that brought comfort to all those who knew him.
“John leaves us a life’s example of love, simplicity and joy,” veteran Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly said. “He expressed that for the masses through hockey and personally through his relationships, which explains why he was universally adored through all the communities that were lucky enough to enjoy No. 13.
“To say John will be missed doesn’t completely capture (it). May you and your brother Matt rest peacefully.”
In the meantime, tributes from across the world – not just the hockey world – have continued to pour in. Notable figures from star basketball player and Ohio native LeBron James to Gov. Mike DeWine expressed sympathy on social media, while professional sports organizations across America held moments of silence before games over the weekend.
“The outpouring of love for John and Matthew has been remarkable, not only among the NHL family but from our local sports community as well as teams and leagues around the world,” Waddell said. “From New Jersey to Boston, Calgary to Columbus and everywhere in between, you have inspired us with the expressions of love and support.
“I know that means the world to the Gaudreau family, and it means the world to our organization as well.”
For the Blue Jackets organization, the hockey world and the Gaudreau family, the world remains a starkly different place than it was seven days ago. Despite – or perhaps because of – his small stature, “Johnny Hockey" had an outsized impact on the sport, turning casual fans into diehards and lifting them out of their seat with his puck handling wizardry and playmaking abilities.
The accolades are almost too many to note – seven All-Star appearances in 11 seasons, a Hobey Baker Award in college at Boston College, a decorated international career with USA Hockey – and he often saved his best for the biggest moments. Johnny Gaudreau became a legend in Calgary with his Game 7, overtime goal in the first round of the playoffs in 2022 and similarly lifted the entire city of Columbus when he shocked the NHL by signing here two years ago.
There was joy to be able to watch him up close, because watching Johnny Gaudreau on a daily basis was the best way to appreciate his talents. He wasn’t someone who would blow up social media with a booming slap shot or Michigan goal, but he thought the game at a level beyond most other NHLers, somehow turning subtlety into the divine.
And he did it all with a smile on his face, an unbridled joy to be able to play this great game for a living.
“I want to say thank you, John, for choosing Columbus when a lot of people wouldn’t,” Blue Jackets alternate captain Zach Werenski said. “You brought so much joy and excitement to this city. I’ve never quite seen anything like it. (It's) something only truly special players can do, and that’s what you were.”
But as much as Gaudreau was Johnny Hockey to the world, he was simply John to those close to him. He truly lived for his family, including his unbreakable bond with Matthew, his father Guy, mother Jane, and sisters Kristen and Katie, as well as his deep love for his wife Meredith, daughter Noa and son Johnny.
He and Matthew learned the game as kids at the Hollydell Ice Arena in New Jersey, where his dad started teaching Johnny to skate at the age of 2. He quickly showed an aptitude for hockey – as did Matthew, a former pro player and current coach himself – and the family was never far from the game.
The two brothers played together under Guy at Gloucester Catholic High School and there was never much doubt they’d do it again in college, with Johnny forgoing a chance to sign a pro contract so he could skate a season at Boston College with his younger brother.
Guy and Jane were constant presences in the stands no matter where he played, making trips to Calgary each year to watch him play and then drives to Columbus for what felt like nearly every home game. In recent years, Meredith and the kids were never far behind.
When the Blue Jackets signed Johnny to a contract in the summer of 2022, they actually signed an entire family.
“When you met one Gaudreau, it wasn’t long after you were meeting another – and then receiving another bottle of Guy’s homemade maple syrup,” Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner said. “It was easy to see very quickly how tight-knit and together their family was. One thing I admired was that John never forgot where he came from.”
And in turn, the Blue Jackets and the Central Ohio community will never forget the Gaudreaus. That much was apparent as the tributes grew, tears flowed and candles fluttered in the breeze Wednesday night.
“As a team, we are going to get through this together,” Jenner said. “We’re going to cry, grieve, be vulnerable and support each other every step of the way, but we will persevere because I know that’s what Johnny would have wanted.
“We’re not only going to remember and honor Johnny and Matthew during these difficult days or this season alone. The memory will stay with us forever.”
