After a traumatic off-season, the Columbus Blue Jackets honoured Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew with a beautiful tribute on opening night, with not a dry eye in the house. The tribute saw the family of the late Gaudreau on the ice for pre-game, and they were joined by Johnny's best friend Sean Monahan, who played alongside No. 13 with the Calgary Flames for almost a decade before both moved on.
The tribute ended with the team raising a banner to honour No. 13, and during the game, Monahan scored an emotional goal, immediately pointing to the banner to honour his friend once more.
The situation was one of incredible emotion for not only Sean, but the family of Johnny who got to know Monahan very well as the two became like brothers during his time in Calgary. The moment went viral on the NHL's social media as No. 23 scored one of the biggest goals of his entire career, much to the delight of everyone watching.
Now, Meredith's simple reaction to the moment has been shared on Instagram, and it's safe to say that the support and the love that Monahan and Gaudreau shared will live on forever, as she captioned her post simply; "Forever Brothers".
After such an emotional night, the team now need to carry on for the rest of the season as they look to honour Johnny by playing their best hockey possible, but given how hard the start of the season has been, it's going to be a tough year for everyone on that team.
POLL | ||
Will Sean Monahan finish this season with 25 or more goals for the Columbus Blue Jackets? | ||
Yes | 112 | 81.8 % |
No | 25 | 18.2 % |
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