It was an emotional night in Calgary, where the Flames and Blue Jackets honored former forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, after their tragic deaths in a bike accident on Aug. 29 in New Jersey.
The brothers’ mother and father, Jane and Guy, and sisters, Katie and Kristen, and Johnny’s wife, Meredith, and their kids, Noah and Johnny Jr., participated in a ceremonial face-off ahead of Tuesday’s game at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Johnny played his first nine seasons in Calgary — where he earned the nickname “Johnny Hockey” — and spent his final two seasons in Columbus.
Guy, who took part in the Flames’ practice on Monday, led the puck drop with his family while fans held up their flashlights.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the arena when the Flames honored Johnny with a video tribute.
It marked the first matchup in Calgary between Johnny’s two former teams.
Both teams wore Gaudreau jerseys during warmups, and Flames goaltender Dan Vladar wore a special mask that honored Johnny and Matthew.
Johnny was named the first star of the game after Calgary’s 3-0 win over Columbus.
Guy took the ice to accept the honor and then shared a hug with Johnny’s former teammate, Calgary captain Rasmus Andersson.
Andersson scored the first goal of the game midway through the second period, and then looked up at Johnny’s family and saluted.
“It was the most emotional goal I’ve ever scored,” he said after the game.
Meredith also revealed her first-ever tattoo in an interview with SportsNet in honor of Johnny on her wrist, which features Johnny’s signature.
Johnny’s family traveled to Calgary this week for the ceremonial game.
Johnny and Matthew were killed when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while cycling on a rural road in Salem County, N.J. on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver has been charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Meredith said she wanted fans to see the couple’s kids and that their family received a warm welcome in Calgary.
“Everyone has been so warm,” she said. “It feels almost like you’ve never left when you are here for a couple days, so many familiar faces. And, you know, spent so much time here, so a lot of good memories.”
