Calgary Flames fans joined in an outpouring of love and sorrow for the family of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau with a makeshift tribute at Scotiabank Saddledome.
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed Thursday night when they were hit by a car while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey. Johnny was 31, Matthew was 29.
Affectionately known as B次元官网网址淛ohnny Hockey,B次元官网网址� Johnny Gaudreau starred over parts of nine seasons with the Calgary Flames before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022.
Flames fans laid out a team jersey and hat, while others stopped by to leave flowers and handwritten notes on the steps outside CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 home arena B次元官网网址� where Gaudreau became an NHL star.
B次元官网网址淭hanks Johnny for making the Flames great again,B次元官网网址� someone wrote.
Jeremiah Nudd, wearing a signed jersey with GaudreauB次元官网网址檚 No. 13 won in a raffle, said he was feeling raw as he came by to drop off a bouquet.
B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 know Johnny, but this just feels different. IB次元官网网址檝e never had a celebrity death or something like that impact me the way this has,B次元官网网址� he said.
Nudd said heB次元官网网址檚 been a lifelong Flames fan and remembered some B次元官网网址渄ark yearsB次元官网网址� after longtime captain Jarome IginlaB次元官网网址檚 departure in 2013.
B次元官网网址淏ut when this little guy from Boston College came to Calgary, the future just looked so bright,B次元官网网址� he said.
The hockey-crazed fan base also left bags of Skittles candy and bottles of purple Gatorade.
GaudreauB次元官网网址檚 father, Guy, famously threw Skittles on the ice to help teach him to skate. The purple Gatorade was a nod to a goal celebration between Gaudreau and his linemates.
Inside the Saddledome, the Flames projected a tribute on the jumbotron. An image of Gaudreau celebrating a goal was next to the words B次元官网网址淚n Loving Memory, Johnny Gaudreau, 1993-2024.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淐ompletely gutted. The world just lost one of the best. RIP Johnny,B次元官网网址� Flames forward Blake Coleman, who played with Gaudreau during the 2021-22 season, said on social media.
B次元官网网址淭rying to find the right words today is not easy,B次元官网网址� added defenceman Rasmus Andersson with a picture of him with Gaudreau. B次元官网网址淵ou were a hell of a hockey player but itB次元官网网址檚 the person Johnny that always is going to be with me, one of my closest friends.
B次元官网网址淭here hasnB次元官网网址檛 been a dry eye in the Andersson house today. We all love you Johnny.B次元官网网址�
The two brothers were in Carneys Point, N.J., for their sister KatieB次元官网网址檚 wedding scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia, at which they were to be groomsmen.
New Jersey State police said Friday the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road when a man driving in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind, causing fatal injuries.
Police said the driver, Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto and jailed at the Salem County Correctional Facility.
Johnny Gaudreau was a seven-time NHL all-star and a Hobey Baker Award winner as the top menB次元官网网址檚 player in college hockey, despite being undersized at five-foot-nine and 180 pounds.
Longtime NHL executive Brian Burke, who was the FlamesB次元官网网址� president of hockey operations from 2013 to 2018, highlighted GaudreauB次元官网网址檚 passion for the game, and dedication to his family and the Calgary community.
B次元官网网址淛ohnny was always the first to raise his hand to give back to the community. When we had any charity requests, we always knew he would say yes, without hesitation,B次元官网网址� Burke wrote in a statement on social media. B次元官网网址淗is love of his family, friends, and alma matter was always apparent and was clearly the driving force in his life. What I will remember most was his happiness, enthusiasm, and kindness that radiated out through the locker room every day.B次元官网网址�
Flames fan Kevin Smith, after giving a silent prayer at the Saddledome memorial, said GaudreauB次元官网网址檚 presence in the community converted him from a diehard Detroit Red Wings supporter.
B次元官网网址淥f course heB次元官网网址檚 a great hockey player,B次元官网网址� Smith said. B次元官网网址淏ut just what he gave back to the communityB次元官网网址� ThatB次元官网网址檚 what brought me to him.B次元官网网址�
Gaudreau is survived by his wife, Meredith, and his children, Noa and Johnny.
The TsuutB次元官网网址檌na Nation, located southwest of Calgary, mourned the death of B次元官网网址渁n instant fan favourite.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭suutB次元官网网址檌na is in a state of shock at the news of the tragic deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. ItB次元官网网址檚 no secret that most TsuutB次元官网网址檌na people are rabid hockey fans, and this news hits hard,B次元官网网址� TsuutB次元官网网址檌na Chief Roy Whitney said in a statement.
B次元官网网址淛ohnny was simply magical on the ice. I cannot remember another player with such skating skill and such mastery of the game, and yet with a gentle demeanour and humility.B次元官网网址�
Former Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent, now the coach of the American Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Laval Rocket, said it was a privilege to get to know B次元官网网址渢he real Johnny Gaudreau B次元官网网址� the person behind the hockey player.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淗e was a humble and unassuming young man with extraordinary talent, who never sought to be in the spotlight,B次元官网网址� Vincent said in a statement through the Montreal Canadiens. B次元官网网址淗is passion for the game and exceptional hockey sense allowed him to achieve greatness, yet he remained grounded and true to himself.B次元官网网址�
Matthew Gaudreau played four seasons as a forward at Boston College, joining Johnny on the Eagles during the 2013-14 campaign. He went on to play professionally in the AHL and ECHL.
The tributes extended beyond the hockey world, with NBA star LeBron James, MLB star Mike Trout and politicians across Canada sending their condolences to the Gaudreau family.
B次元官网网址淛ohnny Gaudreau may have come up from the States, but hockey fans in Calgary, and across Canada, will remember him as one of our own,B次元官网网址� Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote.
One of GaudreauB次元官网网址檚 most memorable moments as a Flame came on May 15, 2022, when he scored the Game 7 overtime winner to help Calgary eliminate the Dallas Stars in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
B次元官网网址淗is thousand-watt smile and infectious personality were matched only by his love for his family, friends, and those close to him,B次元官网网址� said Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, GM of the Flames from 2014 to 2023.
B次元官网网址淗e brought joy to everyone around him and to the many who never knew him but marvelled at his excellence on the ice.B次元官网网址�
