Johnny Gaudreau's former team releases details about honouring him opening night

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Brett Thomas Wills
October 5, 2024 (12:10)

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have released details about how they plan to honour Johnny Gaudreau on opening night against the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena.

Since the tragedy that took the lives of Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau occurred, the hockey world has collectively mourned as well as come together to honour the two in beautiful, loving and authentic ways. As the NHL season begins, it has come to light how Gaudreau's most recent team the Columbus Blue Jackets will honour their fallen star.

According to reports, on opening night, October 15th at Nationwide Arena when the Blue Jackets host the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, both teams will come out for the warm-up wearing jerseys adorning GAUDREAU and his number 13 on the back of them.

The gesture itself is incredibly heartwarming and extremely kind to honour a friend, teammate, colleague and combatant whose life was cut far too short. While many are still grieving the loss of Gaudreau and his brother, it's been a difficult six weeks, to say the least, for those closest to the pair and the greater hockey community.

Those who may not be familliar with the game may suggest that the hockey community is large, however it's honestly quite tight-knit. Each time a tragedy occurs it not only has an effect on those directly involved but to those many consider an extended family of sorts. However humanity can be so wonderful sometimes. People have a unique way to come together and help each other through difficult times. The community has seen it repeatedly in recent years, with sudden losses of people and players tied to it.

It has been mentioned often that the loss of Johnny and his younger brother will sting for quite some time. Grief has no timeline; it isn't linear. While there are no words to help those who are continuing to struggle through their feelings, the hope is that they are reminded how special Johnny and Mathew are and that their memories live on forever within their families; whether it be on the ice or the families in which they carried the name Gaudreau.