Flames honour Johnny Gaudreau in first game vs. Blue Jackets since passing
Tuesday night saw the first game between the Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets since the tragic passing of Johnny Gaudreau over the summer, so the Flames decided to take the opportunity to honour the star forward that both franchises shared.
All the love to the Gaudreau family and friends ❤️💛
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/LRYPHEVv4F
The two teams had a ceremonial puck drop with Gaudreau’s family in attendance before the game, with Flames’ captain Mikael Backlund and Blue Jackets’ center Sean Monahan taking the face-off. Backlund and Monahan were Gaudreau’s teammates for all nine seasons that he spent in Calgary, with Monahan also signing with Columbus over the summer to be reunited with Gaudreau before his passing.
The Flames went on to win Tuesday’s game 3-0 over the Blue Jackets, with Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl and Yegor Sharangovich all scoring and Dan Vladar making 16 saves for the shutout. Gaudreau was named the first star of the game.
Gaudreau, along with his brother Matthew, died on August 29th, 2024 while the two were visiting New Jersey for their sister’s wedding the following day. They were cycling through Oldmans Township when they were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver.
Their deaths were met with an overwhelming wave of responses of people honouring the brothers, such as candlelight vigils in Columbus and Calgary, Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield changing his number from 22 to Gaudreau’s 13, and the Blue Jackets “saving a spot for Johnny” in their home opener by starting the game without a left winger and passing the puck to the empty spot during 13 seconds of silence.
Gaudreau was a fourth-round pick for the Flames in the 2011 NHL draft, and after spending three seasons at Boston College, he made his NHL debut in Calgary’s final game of the 2013-14 regular season, scoring a goal in the game. He went on to play nine seasons for the Flames, capturing a Lady Byng trophy in 2016-17, before he left to free agency in order to play for an NHL team closer to his family in 2022. The Blue Jackets won the sweepstakes, signing the forward to a seven-year contract, although Gaudreau only played two years of it before his passing.
Gaudreau played in 763 regular season games across 11 seasons, accumulating 243 goals and 500 assists for 743 points. He also had 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 42 playoff games.
In Flames franchise history, Gaudreau currently sits 9th in all-time goals and 5th in all-time assists and points, as well as tied for 15th, 13th and 14th in those respective stats in Flames playoff history. He’s also 47th, 20th, and 31st in those respective stats in Blue Jackets history.
Johnny’s brother, Matthew, was never drafted or played a game in the NHL, but he did have a professional playing career in the AHL and ECHL from 2017 to 2022 after his collegiate career, also at Boston College. He had 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points in 21 AHL games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Stockton Heat, along with 35 goals and 65 assists for 100 points in 127 ECHL games with the Worcester Railers and the Reading Royals.