Forever ‘Johnny Hockey’: Gaudreau’s inspiring skills transcended his undersized stature
Johnny Gaudreau was one of the few NHL players whose star power transcended the hockey world. Even if you didn’t root for the Calgary Flames or, more recently, the Columbus Blue Jackets — even if you didn’t follow the NHL — you’d probably heard of Johnny Hockey.
The nickname just worked. Gaudreau played the game with dazzling, quick moves and a get-out-of-your-seat ability. And there was a Hollywood aspect to his career: the too-short, too-small player many doubted would make it to the NHL, let alone become one of the league’s best.
The 1.70 meter tall and 73 kilo left winger has influenced and inspired the lives of countless people.
That’s why so many people were in mourning Friday when the Blue Jackets and the NHL confirmed that Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, were killed Thursday night when a man in an SUV struck them while they were riding bicycles, New Jersey State Police said. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences, as did NBA star LeBron James and baseball star Mike Trout. NHL clubs and fans joined in the outpouring of sympathy. Fans in Columbus laid flowers beneath Gaudreau’s billboard-sized likeness outside the entrance to Nationwide Arena, and a candlelight vigil was planned for Friday night. Ohio State will hold a moment of silence before its football season opener against Akron on Saturday. Gaudreau was scheduled to play in Ohio Stadium in the Stadium Series game on March 1.
For many, the first thoughts, and rightly so, turned to the close-knit Gaudreau family.
In the blink of an eye, Guy and Jane Gaudreau lost two sons. Sisters Katie and Kristen Gaudreau lost their brothers. Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, lost her husband. Gaudreau’s children, daughter Noa and son Johnny — both under 2 — lost their father.
Friday was supposed to be Katie Gaudreau’s wedding day. Johnny and Matthew were to be the groomsmen, while Meredith and Matthew’s wife, Madeline, were to be the bridesmaids. Madeline, now a widow, is pregnant with the couple’s first child.
Total devastation. Unimaginable grief.
“I was instantly sad and depressed after reading the story,” James wrote on X. “My thoughts and prayers go out to the Gaudreau family! May Johnny and Matthew fly high and bless their family from the heavens above.”
“It makes me sick,” Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes said. “I had the opportunity to coach Johnny several times with USA Hockey. Johnny was a great kid. He was personable. He had a big heart. His teammates loved him.”
The Blue Jackets — players and management — were understandably silent Friday after the club released its statement early this morning confirming the Gaudreaus’ passing. What can be said on a day when everyone is trying to find a way to process an unbearable grief?
Johnny Gaudreau was a beloved figure in the NHL. (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
The legend of Johnny Hockey began when he was, oh, 8 or 9 years old, weaving through and around players twice his size in local rinks in New Jersey and Philadelphia. He continued to shine into his teens, even as he was repeatedly passed over for tryouts for elite programs.
He later played one year (at age 18) in Dubuque, Iowa, in the United States Hockey League before transferring to Boston College. Brian Bates, a veteran NHL scout, scouted him several times in Dubuque.
“Every time I warmed up before the game, I wondered why they had such a young kid there; he was so small,” Bates said. “That was my first thought every time … until he touched the puck and started skating. So small, but so skilled, and so much stronger than his fragile frame.”
Gaudreau was listed as 5-6, 137 pounds at the NHL scouting combine in 2011, his draft year, but that measurement may not have been exact. Guy Gaudreau once said The AthleticsHailey Salvian says they put two or three pucks in his jockstrap to make him a few pounds heavier before he’s weighed in at the combine.
When the Flames drafted him in the fourth round that year — No. 104 overall — it came as a surprise to many, including Gaudreau, who stayed home to play in a tournament hosted by his father instead of attending the draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.
After three dominant seasons at Boston College — he won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s most outstanding player in 2014 — Gaudreau turned pro. Incredibly, he never spent a day in the minor leagues.
“He was told his whole life that he was too small and would never play hockey at a high level. (He) really earned everything he got because he never gave up,” Guy said. The Athletics a few years ago. “A lot of people don’t realize that he’s been cut all those times and told he’s too small and he’s fought through all those things to get to where he is today.”
Gaudreau was a star player for the Flames for eight seasons — one of the most beloved athletes ever in that city — before signing as a free agent with the Blue Jackets two years ago.
The move was a thorn in the side of many in Calgary: he chose Columbus? — but he made the choice for the right reasons. As he got older, his family became increasingly important in his life, a feeling exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made travel between the United States and Calgary more difficult than ever.
Now his family was an afternoon’s drive away, not a full day’s flight with border restrictions. Guy Gaudreau was a near-constant presence. He’d been to more morning skates over the past two seasons than some local media. Like his son, he never stopped smiling.
The Blue Jackets struggled in Gaudreau’s two seasons in Columbus, but he led the team in both seasons and appeared poised for a big season in 2024-25. The team signed Gaudreau’s close friend, Sean Monahan, to a free agent contract to be his teammate on Columbus’ top line.
The Gaudreaus and Monahans had planned to raise their children together — to spend time together as families, to enjoy the highs of their careers together. Yes, there’s another level of sadness to all of this.
Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan were set to reunite in Columbus this season. (Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
With his incredible skill and memorable nickname, Johnny Hockey had an aura. Young players in the locker room would look at him and speak with awe. Fans would stand open-mouthed as Gaudreau walked past them on his way out.
But Gaudreau never acted that way. He could disarm fans instantly. His least favorite subject to talk about was Johnny Gaudreau.
And in a locker room full of millionaires, most of whom dressed accordingly, Gaudreau would dress up for game nights and team functions. But on days off, he was likely to be seen in a T-shirt that should have been turned into a duster years ago. His favorite footwear was flip-flops.
All of this made the fans in Columbus welcome him with open arms.
To be fair, Gaudreau’s willingness to sign with Columbus as a free agent was also a surprise to the Blue Jackets. When his agent, Lewis Gross, first contacted management, the team believed it was an attempt to drive up the price in negotiations with his more likely destinations, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
When former Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen realized he meant business, the Jackets pounced, giving him the largest free agent contract in franchise history.
Gaudreau’s desire to sign with the Blue Jackets followed the high-profile departures of Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin, Seth Jones and others, further earning the franchise a reputation as one shunned by players.
By choosing Columbus when others decided to leave, Gaudreau immediately endeared himself to Blue Jackets fans and the number 13 jerseys flew off the shelves.
On Friday, the jerseys were hung on poles and placed on doors throughout central Ohio as a tribute to the Gaudreaus.
This is a franchise that has mostly known long seasons and chronic losses, and it has endured more than its share of tragedies.
On March 16, 2002, during the Blue Jackets’ second season, a young fan, Brittanie Cecil, was hit in the head with a puck while celebrating her 12th birthday at Nationwide Arena. She died two days later from internal bleeding, prompting the NHL to install netting above the ends of all rinks.
In July 2003, Blue Jackets minor league player Trevor Ettinger committed suicide.
On July 4, 2021, goalie Matiss Kivlenieks died after a fireworks accident at the home of then-Blue Jackets goalie coach Manny Legace.
There was a sense of shock when the Blue Jackets arrived for training camp just two months after Kivlenieks’ death — almost a second wave of grief. They remembered where Kivlenieks sat in the locker room, his smile, his kind nature.
The Blue Jackets are now dealing with a new wave of grief just three weeks before training camp. Many players are already in town preparing for the season. Many more will arrive early next week.
The loss of Gaudreau is so profound and heartbreaking that one wonders how the players in the locker room can cope with it. And how new general manager Don Waddell and coach Dean Evason can help them through this process.
“The impact he had on our organization and our sport was immense,” the team said in a statement, “but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on all who knew him.”
— Hailey Salvian contributed to this story.
(Top photo: Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)
