As the National Hockey League family continues to mourn the passing of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, the NHL Stats and Information team is honoring their lives and legacies with a Morning Skate that highlights their careers and everlasting impact on the people and communities they touched.
1. Johnny Gaudreau was selected by the Flames in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft before heading to Boston College where he played three seasons with the Eagles, averaging at least a point-per-game and finishing either first or second in team scoring in each campaign. After winning a Hockey East title and finishing second in team scoring as a freshman in 2011-12, Gaudreau followed that up with a 2012-13 campaign in which he led the Eagles in assists and points – earning an NHL contract offer from the Flames. With brother Matthew Gaudreau set to join him at Boston College, Johnny opted for another year on the East Coast for a chance to play alongside his brother – with whom he shared a bedroom until their college years.
2. The Gaudreau brothers realized their dream of playing together at BC when Matthew made his NCAA debut Nov. 10, 2013. Amid an eventual Hobey Baker Award-winning season, Johnny rose to the occasion during Matthew’s debut to put on a show alongside his brother in front of family and friends at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Johnny collected four points that night, including two goals before the 10-minute mark of the first period, and Matthew scored in his collegiate debut.
3. Matthew played four seasons with the Eagles before embarking on a professional career that spanned five campaigns, including two with the Islanders’ AHL and ECHL affiliates and a stint with the Flames’ AHL affiliate. After his playing career, the younger of the Gaudreau brothers returned to the East Coast where he served as head coach of the Gloucester Catholic High School hockey team in New Jersey – following in the footsteps of his father, Guy Gaudreau, who coached there for more than a decade including time as Johnny’s coach.
4. When Johnny made the leap to the NHL, his impact was immediate: he scored his first NHL goal during the 13th shift of his League debut April 13, 2014 in Vancouver. From there, “Johnny Hockey” continued to perform at the highest level, accumulating 243 goals, 500 assists and 743 points across 763 career regular-season games in the NHL with the Flames and Blue Jackets – the second-most assists and points among players from the 2011 NHL Draft. Johnny’s 48 game-winning goals are currently tied for the most from his draft class.
5. After wearing No. 53 in his League debut and throughout the 2014-15 preseason, Johnny switched to his customary No. 13 for the start of the 2014-15 campaign. During his rookie season, Gaudreau finished second in team scoring (24-40—64 in 80 GP; top 35 in the entire NHL) and led NHL rookies in assists and points (tied) en route to being Calgary’s first Calder Memorial Trophy finalist in nearly a decade – helping to power the Flames into the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2009. In his final campaign with Calgary (2021-22), Johnny posted career bests for goals (40), assists (75) and points (115) – the second-highest single-season assist (tied) and point totals in Flames franchise history.
6. Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Johnny signed a long-term contract with the Blue Jackets – a decision rooted in both his desire to help lead the franchise and its young group to a championship and to establish roots closer to family with his wife, Meredith. Once again, Johnny’s impact was immediate: Gaudreau collected 21-53—74 in 2022-23, the second-highest assist and point totals by a player in their first season with the Blue Jackets. “Johnny Hockey” led Columbus in assists and points in both his campaigns with the club.
7. Johnny’s fun-loving personality was often on display while on the ice, and one of those moments came in Columbus while playing with the Flames when he was famously spooked by the Blue Jackets’ cannon. Johnny joked about adapting to the cannon in his introductory press conference with Columbus and followed through on the ice by scoring in each of his first three games at Nationwide Arena and started his Blue Jackets tenure with a five-game home point streak (5-2—7 in 5 GP). Overall, Gaudreau tallied 101 assists with Columbus – nearly double his next-closest teammate during his tenure – and the last assist of his NHL career helped him become the sixth-fastest U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach 500 (760 GP).
8. “The Legend of Johnny Hockey” was the theme of Johnny’s feature for the NHL’s Skates Off video series in 2018, in which he told the story of how his father, Guy, taught him to skate by having him chase Skittles around the ice. The feature explored Johnny’s hockey journey as a smaller player and focused on the impact he made – and will continue to make through the **John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation** – with his community involvement. Filmed while Johnny was with the Flames, the video highlights the work he did with KidSport Calgary, part of a long list of initiatives for which “Johnny Hockey” dedicated his support (including Alberta Children’s Hospital, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and men’s mental health awareness).
9. Johnny played in the NHL All-Star Game seven times, making his debut at the event in Columbus in 2015. There as a “Young Gun” but not slated to play in the game itself, Gaudreau was called to action as an injury replacement on short notice – but with enough time for his parents, Jane and Guy, to drive 6.5 hours to watch Johnny make his All-Star debut at age 21. Johnny spoke often of his love for the event – citing the special memories made with family as one of his favorite parts – and produced several memorable moments on the ice. There was the fun-loving shootout attempt in 2015 with a player he watched as a kid, his displeasure of being stuck on defense in 2022, his success as a two-time winner of the Puck Control event (2018 and 2019), and his hat trick in front of more than a dozen family members, including daughter **Noa**, in 2023.
10. Tributes to Johnny and Matthew poured in from across the hockey community and beyond. There were vigils in Columbus and Calgary, jersey number changes from a player that idolized Johnny, messages of remembrance from countless players – including a legend whose final NHL goal was set up by Johnny – and videos to go along with 13 seconds of silence during the preseason. A special tribute to the Gaudreau brothers aired ahead of the first regular season game Oct. 4 in Prague and similar features will be part of each opening night national telecast in North America.
11. Online tributes from former teams, fans, star players from other leagues also honored the lives of Matthew and Johnny, with their respective No. 21 and No. 13 at the forefront of many tributes – and Johnny’s No. 8 jersey being retired by his USHL team. Johnny’s wife, Meredith, engaged with many social media tributes and shared memories through her own posts, including one dedicated to “John’s favorite guy in the world.” Paired with a video of Johnny talking about his friendship with Sean Monahan, who signed with the Blue Jackets in July, Meredith posted: “It’s been really hard watching hockey start up and seeing how different my life is now. My whole life was taking care of John and our kids. It’s all I ever wanted. But watching Sean wear CBJ is something I know John always, always wanted. Noa loves cheering for Uncle Sean too. Wishing 23 a good training camp and can’t wait to cheer you on.”
12. Support for the Gaudreau family has spanned well beyond the online world, including more than $800,000 raised to support Madeline, Matthew’s wife who is pregnant with their first child, Tripp; an invite to Guy to serve as a guest coach during Flyers training camp; and Blue Jackets players gathering to celebrate Noa’s second birthday alongside Meredith and their son, Johnny.
13. The Blue Jackets will remember the lives of Johnny and Matthew prior to their home opener Oct. 15 against the Panthers. The evening will include a pre-game video and ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. ET, prior to the 7:13 p.m. puck drop. Both teams will wear jerseys featuring “13” and “GAUDREAU” during pre-game warmups, to be signed and auctioned along with other fundraising efforts to benefit the **John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation**.
