The Flyers had a special guest on the ice on Monday for training camp at the team’s facility in Voorhees, New Jersey.
Guy Gaudreau, the father of the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, was helping to run drills during training camp after he was an invited guest by head coach John Tortorella and the Flyers’ organization.
Like so many across the hockey world, Tortorella was touched by the tragic deaths of the two Gaudreau brothers last month after they were struck by a motorist while riding their bikes in New Jersey.
Tortorella told reporters after the skate that he had never meet Guy Gaudreau or Johnny or Matthew Gaudreau, but he wanted to do something for the family in the wake of the tragedy.
“I never met Johnny and Matt in my travels as coach,” Tortorella said, according to the Associated Press. “But their family’s here. Horrific situation going on. He’s a coach. He’s done some great work with some of the youth out here. I figured it’s perfect just to get him in with us.”
The Flyers coach had attended the brothers’ funeral last month in Pennsylvania and he commented on how their two wives had been “so strong” through all of the loss.
“No one can imagine. No one can,” he said. “I’m hoping to get to know the family. I think a number of coaches want to get to know the family, the girls, Matt’s family. It’s just horrible what happened. It’s still pretty fresh. It’s here. It’s with us. Down the street. We just want to be part of it and try and help.”
Flyers players on Monday showed appreciation for Guy Gaudreau being there on Monday, shaking his hand after the practice and tapping their sticks.
Tortorella said jokingly that he had been giving him a hard time for being so hard on his players.
“He was hesitant at first, and we kind of let him go at his timetable,” Tortorella said. “I think it worked out really well today. I gave him my camp book. We’re going to check in next week and see if we can get him out here a couple more times and have him be part of it. I don’t want it to be, ‘Just come out here.’ I want him to be part of it. I think it will be therapeutic for him to be around us and run some drills.”
