Courtesy of theScore.com
Johnny Gaudreau will forever be remembered not just for his skill on the ice, but by his character and community impact.
Gaudreau grew up in New Jersey, where his father taught him how to skate by leaving a trail of his favorite candy, Skittles, on the ice. This is when a legend was born.
He played for the Boston College Eagles in the Hockey East conference, where in his first year he led all freshmen in scoring, won MVP in the Hockey East Championship Tournament, and helped bring Boston College a championship win. He was named Hockey East Player of the Year his sophomore year. Gaudreau stayed with Boston College for a third year, rather than going pro, and got to play alongside his brother, Matthew. He then won the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top hockey player in the NCAA.
Gaudreau proved there’s a place for short, scrappy players in hockey.
On the same day Gaudreau received the Hobey Baker Award, he began his NHL career, playing for the Calgary Flames. In his first professional game, on his first shot, he got his first goal. This was an omen for the electric player he would become.
Gaudreau was selected for his first NHL All-Star Game in 2015 hosted by none other than the Columbus Blue Jackets. He recorded two assists in the game, but is better remembered from the shootout challenge when Jakub Voráček used him to help him score a goal, like a previous player had done with a kid. He ranked sixth in the NHL in total points and was a finalist for the All-Star MVP in his second season. Gaudreau finished in fourth for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the NHL.
In the 2021-22 season, in which he was a key part to Calgary’s historic success, Gaudreau scored 115 points, including 40 goals, and again finished fourth for the Hart Memorial Trophy. In Game 7 versus the Dallas Stars, in the first round of the playoffs, Johnny Hockey scored the game winning goal in overtime to send the Flames to the next round.
Girls Club writer Emma Dowsett, a Flames fan, shared her thoughts on Johnny Hockey: “I’m so proud to be able to say you were a Flame. You brought joy back into this hockey town and no one will ever forget that feeling. Johnny Gaudreau, you will forever be a Flame. I will never forget the moments you shined on the ice here in Calgary: The Game 7 OT winner, assisting Jaromír Jágr’s last goal, the purple Gatorade line. But most importantly, I’ll never forget the way you made me feel. I was 5 years old when you were drafted by the Flames, I was 8 when you made your NHL debut, and I was 17 when you left Calgary. 9 years in my city, in my life, and on my team.”
Those same sentiments of pride, joy, and excitement within a hockey community thanks to Gaudreau, shifted over to my Columbus Blue Jackets.
On July 13, 2022, Gaudreau shocked the hockey world when he decided to sign with the Blue Jackets. I remember crying tears of joy, it was one of my favorite moments as a CBJ fan. A top player wanted to play with Columbus, and show it is a great city and hockey town, with a team full of potential and worth paying attention to. The cannon that once scared Gaudreau would fire off for him.
The importance of Johnny Hockey choosing Columbus, a move that changed how the team is viewed, cannot be understated. As a Jacket, he made a difference for fans, the city, and the community.
Gaudreau was selected to the All-Star Game again in 2023, this time repping the city he made his first All-Star appearance in. While the Blue Jackets struggled with injuries during Gaudreau’s time with them, he never doubted his decision to play for them.
In the 2023-24 season, Gaudreau’s Columbus teammate, Patrik Laine, pledged to donate money to mental health resources for every goal he scored. When Laine stepped away from the team for personal reasons, Gaudreau took on Laine’s initiative, donating $1,000 for every point he scored to the OhioHealth Foundation.
Every story from players and fans remarks upon the joy Gaudreau brought to his teams as well as the kind human being he was, his impact reaching far beyond Calgary and Columbus. He became an idol for many hockey players and a favorite for many hockey fans. It’d be hard to not like Johnny Hockey.
13 will forever be one of the greatest, and his legacy will live on forever, through the light he brought and the meaningful influence he made in the hockey world and his communities.
Though Johnny Gaudreau’s time with Columbus was too short, it was sweet, and his impact for Columbus will forever be felt. Blue Jacket Zach Werenski said it best: “Thank you, John, for choosing Columbus when other people wouldn’t. You brought so much joy and excitement to this city. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Something only truly special players could do. And that’s what you were.”
May Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau rest in peace. We send our love to the Gaudreau family, friends and teammates, their communities, and Flames and Blue Jackets fans.
Courtesy of the Columbus Blue Jackets
Edited by Giana Robertaccio
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