Blue Jackets home opener was an excellent tribute to Johnny Gaudreau

There wasn’t a dry eye in Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Tuesday night, as the Columbus Blue Jackets welcomed the Florida Panthers to town for their home opener, and before the game, honored the lives of both Johnny Gaudreau, and his brother Matthew.

The emotional tribute was a very special scene, extremely heartfelt, and included raising a banner to the rafters at Nationwide Arena, in honor of Gaudreau’s legacy he left within the hockey world, but also the communities of Calgary and Columbus. The Panthers, led by Matthew Tkachuk, who was a teammate of Gaudreau’s in Calgary, all walked into the game with Skittles and purple Gatorades, two of Gaudreau’s favorite things before a game.

The touching tribute was the opening topic on today’s Dailly Faceoff LIVE, as Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discussed the emotional night in Columbus.

Yaremchuk: Let’s just right into Frank, the Columbus Blue Jackets honoring Johnny Gaudreau. His family was in attendance last night, and a tribute that was very touching, but at the same time, very heartbreaking as well. Not just to see the reactions from his family, but also the reaction from Gaudreau’s teammates, and his former teammates who were involved in the game. like Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk.

Number 13 will fly forever inside Nationwide Arena. What’s your general thoughts on the ceremony that the Blue Jackets put together.

Seravalli: Oh man, first off, it hit all the right notes. It was so beautifully done. Just, every part of it, from the banner to Johnny’s wife Meredith, and her message before the game to have fun, because that’s the way Johnny would want it. To the Florida Panthers, and there participation in this, to the opening puck drop.

I think really what I’m struck with, you know, six weeks on from this unimaginable tragedy, is really just the strength of everyone invovled. To be there, to be part of it, to continue to honor John, and also Matthew. I can’t imagine what everyone’s dealing with there, and how incredible difficult that is to stand in front of 19,000 people, and you’re grieving at the same time. There grieving with you, and also the fans in Columbus, and everywhere around the league, how especially there, how they’ve wrapped the arms around the Gaudreau family and that organization and what they’ve done.

The whole part of it, as you mentioned, was heartbreaking. I think what really grabbed me at the end, before they starting playing was, just looking at (Blue Jackets head coach) Dean Evason on the bench. Just tears streaming down his face, as he’s trying to choke them back. He didn’t coach this team last year, he’s a newcomer to all of this, and to be hit with all of that, first off it puts a lot of things in life into perspective, and also just full marks to everyone involved, because they really just hit all the right notes.

For more on the emotional night in Columbus, and the very latest from around the NHL, watch the full episode here.