COLUMBUS -- Sean Monahan stepped onto the podium Wednesday wearing a black T-shirt with the No. 13 and a picture of Johnny Gaudreau in a Columbus Blue Jackets uniform.
The center signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) with the Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent July 1, and now it was the first day of training camp. It should have been a happy time.
But a main reason Monahan came to Columbus was to play with forward Johnny Gaudreau, his teammate with the Calgary Flames from 2014-22 and maybe his best friend.
Johnny and his brother, Matthew, died Aug. 29 when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles at home in Salem County, New Jersey. Johnny was 31, Matthew 29.
“It’s obviously tough,” Monahan said. “Haven’t really talked publicly about it at all. I still don’t know the exact words to even say. But I’m excited for the season. I’m excited to get it going.
“We’re going to miss Johnny. I’m going to miss Johnny a lot. It’s something I think about every day. It’s definitely really hard to get through, but we’ve got a great group here. We’re going to miss him as a team.”
Monahan said he and Johnny were supposed to live about three houses apart. His stall is next to Johnny’s stall, which will remain in the Blue Jackets locker room at Nationwide Arena this season.
“I’m actually still sitting beside Johnny,” Monahan said. “Pretty special. I get to get that memory every day.”
Asked for his favorite memory of Johnny, Monahan struggled to answer and held back emotion. Johnny had two young children and another on the way with his wife, Meredith.
“Honestly, I couldn’t pick one,” Monahan said. “It’s a little bit of everything. It’s a tough question to answer. I think maybe one of my favorite moments was the day he found out ‘Mer’ was pregnant for the first time.”
Monahan said he always has anxiety before training camp. This is different, though.
“You’re excited,” he said. “You get nervous. You want to make a good impression. You want to feel good. So, that’s where that comes from.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of weight on our shoulders right now. There’s a huge loss, a special person who’s not here. Like I said, it’s on my mind every day, every second. We want to obviously put our best foot forward and put our best effort out there for Johnny.”
Monahan knows a few of his new teammates, including defensemen Erik Gudbranson and Zach Werenski. He played with Gudbranson in Calgary in 2021-22. He had dinners with Werenski because of Johnny.
“He walked into a tough situation here, meeting the guys for the first time after this happened, so I give him a lot of credit for how he’s handled everything,” Werenski said. “Obviously, we know John was a big reason why he signed here, but I think it kind of goes back to that point of being together. We’re there for him. I think it maybe speeds things up a little bit, the relationships. …
“Obviously, it’s one of the worst times of his life, and he’s been awesome to be around, so that speaks volumes about the type of person he is. But as a group, we’re here for him, and we’re just going to be together and get through this thing together.”
Captain Boone Jenner said Monahan will help the Blue Jackets in many ways. The 29-year-old had 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) in 83 games with the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets last season. Instead of complementing Johnny, he will have to help fill the void.
“He’s a highly skilled forward that plays center,” Jenner said. “He’s good on face-offs. He kind of plays all over the ice. To add that to our lineup along with the experience and the leadership qualities he has, it’s a great, great addition for us.”
Monahan said he loves Columbus. It is a beautiful place to live, his teammates have been welcoming and he feels at home.
“I’m going to try to lead by example, do the things I do, do the things I’m comfortable with and try to help myself to get better and be able to push other guys on the team to be better,” he said. “It’s an exciting group with guys trying to obviously start off and take off in this league and guys that are continuing to try to be great players in this league. It’s a team that I’m really proud to be part of.”
