Guy Gaudreau joins Blue Jackets practice, 'a joy to have him out there'

COLUMBUS -- A range of emotions were felt at Nationwide Arena on Monday when Guy Gaudreau attended a Columbus Blue Jackets practice for the first time since the death of his sons, Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau.

Coach Dean Evason invited Guy as the Blue Jackets prepare to honor the memories of the brothers before the home opener against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSOH, NHLN, TVAS).

Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, died Aug. 29 when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver who has been charged with two counts of death by auto, while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey.

"I've been told that Johnny Gaudreau is a rink rat," Evason said. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. [Guy] just wanted to be on the ice. He just wanted to be here.

"I said to him, 'Anytime you want to come out, you're more than welcome,' and he said, 'Well, are you having a morning skate tomorrow?' I said yeah, so he's coming out tomorrow as well. He just wants to be around and it's fantastic.

"All that family's been through, it's been fantastic and his attitude and the way that he had a such a positive attitude in our room. We were doing practice planning and he's just jumping in on stuff. It was really nice."

Forward Sean Monahan, who played with Gaudreau on the Calgary Flames from 2013-22 and signed with the Blue Jackets on July 1 so they could be reunited, said having Guy Gaudreau on the ice brought back memories.

"[Guy] is in my mind all the time, and my heart," Monahan. "I mean, he's a special person, obviously a great dad, and he's a great coach, obviously, for his kids. … He kind of thinks the game the way Johnny did."

In addition to the pregame tribute to the Gaudreau brothers, the Blue Jackets have found other ways to honor them, including a helmet sticker with the numbers 13 for Johnny and 21, the number Matthew wore when they played together at Boston College.

The Blue Jackets also are wearing a No. 13 patch on their jerseys and the No. 13 has been placed on the ice behind each net.

Forward Sean Kuraly, whose stall along with Monahan's bracket the empty locker of Gaudreau that will remain as a memorial all season, was glad Guy was there so he could express his feelings.

"First of all, how much John meant to us and how much we miss him," Kuraly said. "And then second of all, just good memories of things, moments we had with John, and fun parts about practice, where he'd be at that moment or what he'd be doing at that moment."

Evason said he got the idea of bringing Guy in after Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella invited him to help during training camp practices.

"Thanks to [Tortorella]," Evason said. "I think it's fantastic he can be around our hockey club."

The players are honoring Johnny with a new tradition after a win. In recent seasons the player of the game received a kepi, a flat-top hat honoring the Blue Jackets' connection to the Union army in the Civil War.

After Monahan had a goal and two assists in the Blue Jackets' 6-4 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, he was interviewed wearing a donkey hat.

"If you knew John, he probably called you a donkey before," Monahan said. "That was his word. He called me a donkey probably a million times, so it's just a little something to remember him."

Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner hatched the plan and ordered several variations of the donkey hat.

"I think it's fitting for us. It was a great idea," defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. "I wish the little guy was still here calling us that. But 'Monny' is the right guy to get that the first time, for sure. He's battled through a lot, the injuries to get his body to where he's at now. Along with coming here and his close friendship with John and how he played the first two games of the season, it was an absolute no-brainer."

No one is sure how the players and coaches will react to the ceremony Tuesday, which will be attended by members of the Gaudreau family.

"Honestly, I don't have an answer," Monahan said. "But when we step on the ice, I step on the ice, you play for John. If he was here, he'd be excited for a day like this, a home opener, a new-looking team. We've got to be excited for it."

Evason said the team has talked about their emotions going into the game.

"If you need to cry, then cry," Evason said. "If you need to talk about Johnny, if you need to just giggle about things, then do that, right? Because it's such an unprecedented thing, and something that obviously none of us wanted to go through, and nobody ever wants to go through it, but we have to.

"We are going to have an emotional day but we're going to use all that emotion and turn it into energy for us as a group moving forward and throwing that on the ice when that puck drops."

The Blue Jackets have another tribute to Johnny that Evason was happy to share with Guy, who was known for coaching his sons hard.

At the end of each practice, a player is selected to shoot the puck from one end into an open net at the other end.

"We call it the Johnny Skate," Evason said. "If he makes it in the net, it's a one-lap [skate] for the players. If he misses, it's three laps. One-three [13]."

The coaches asked Guy if he wanted to fire the puck.

"He says, 'Yeah, and I'll miss it on purpose," Evason said.

Evason warned the players what was about to happen.

"He missed on purpose and they skated," he said. "He loves the game, loves hockey, and again, a joy to have him out there."