The Calgary Flames are holding a candlelight vigil for the Gaudreau brothers at the fan-created memorial outside the Saddledome this evening.
The vigil is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. at the west entrance to the arena and it marks the beginning of a 13-day observance for fans to visit the memorial and pay their respects. Johnny Gaudreau wore No. 13 for the Flames during his eight full seasons with the team.
The Flames organization says the service is also set to include special guests, although it’s unclear who will be speaking at the vigil.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were fatally injured in a collision while biking in their home state of New Jersey last Thursday, a day before they were set to be groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding.
Fans left flowers, Calgary Flames gear and purple Gatorade — Johnny’s drink of choice during his tenure with the Flames — on the steps of the Saddledome for days as a tribute to the late star forward.
The Flames organization has since relocated a portion of the mementos to the lawn north of the stairs and encourages fans to leave any additional tributes on the grass there.
Fans wishing to participate in the “candlelight” portion of the vigil are asked to download the Calgary Flames app on their phones, where they can access a special digital candle.
Stampede Trail will be closed between 14th Avenue S.E. and 17th Avenue S.E. for the vigil, which is expected to last 45 minutes.
The 13-minute candlelight vigil will begin shortly after sunset at 8:14 p.m.
The Flames say the north side of the 11th Avenue S.E. parking lot and Stampede parking lots can be accessed via 25th Avenue S.E. only. However, pass-holder parking is available for season ticket members.
Fans planning to attend by transit are encouraged to use Erlton and Victoria CTrain stations.
A livestream of the vigil as well as a digital memory book will be available at the Calgary Flames website.
Calgary legend Jarome Iginla, who is now special adviser to the Flames’ general manager, shared a statement on the team’s website Tuesday, offering his condolences to the Gaudreau family.
“While I never had the privilege to play with Johnny, the times we met or played against each other, I could feel how special he was. His love of the game and positive energy radiated from him. ‘Johnny Hockey’ made our sport better in many special ways,” Iginla said.
“My family and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have spent time with him, and we will always be his fans.”
Flames icon and Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald joined The Homestretch on Friday to mourn the loss of Gaudreau.
“The hockey community absolutely adored Johnny for how he played. Certainly he wasn’t the biggest of guys but had a huge heart,” McDonald told the show hosts.
Johnny was known for his relatively smaller stature for a professional hockey player. He was five feet nine inches tall and weighed 163 pounds.
“It’s just the saddest day you could possibly imagine.”
Hockey great Jaromir Jagr posted an Instagram message Tuesday in Czech, translated to English by the social media app’s built-in feature.
Jagr shared the message along with a clip of his last goal in the NHL, which was assisted by Gaudreau while they were Flames teammates in 2018.
“Unfortunately, life can sometimes be incredibly cruel,” Jagr said. “Thank you Johnny Gaudreau for being there and giving hope to all the guys with your incredible performances that though they are not the biggest and toughest, they can succeed at the NHL world class just like you did.”