The passing of Johnny Gaudreau was a tough one for the entire NHL and sporting world over the summer, and thankfully, his memory has been treated with respect universally over the past few months. With the new season quickly approaching, there are plans in place to continue paying tribute to Johnny Hockey, who was one of the most beloved and respected players in the NHL throughout his tenure with the Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Unfortunately, not everyone has spoken with the necessary reverence about Gaudreau, with Insider Frank Seravalli facing backlash for the comments he made about Gaudreau during his season preview article. During that article, Seravalli made some disgusting comments about how his passing would positively effect the team's chance of winning the lottery. It was later amended, but that didn't make it any better, with droves of fans calling him out on X in the hours since it was posted.
Now, the NHL Insider has addressed the situation, offering an apology after facing plenty of well deserved criticism.
On one hand, it's easy to say that someone made a mistake and potentially had their words misinterpreted, but Seravalli edited the article several times to make it better, with each time his words appearing worse and worse. Ultimately, it's unlikely that he'll face any true consequences for his words, but given his history as a writer, it's not a good look in the slightest.