Late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau honoured as Blue Jackets, Panthers go all out in emotional home opener: ‘This is pure class’

With heavy hearts and sombre spirits, The Columbus Blue Jackets hit the ice for their home opener against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

It was the team’s first in-season opportunity to honour the late Johnny Gaudreau in front of a packed house of over 18,000 teary-eyed fans inside Nationwide Arena. No. 13’s memory was front-of-mind throughout the evening, and the game’s opening face-off brought all the feels as Columbus started the game with just four skaters — leaving an empty space on left wing where Gaudreau should have been lined up.

Johnny and his brother, Matthew, were killed by an alleged drunk driver at the end of August.

As the official dropped the puck and the crowd went silent, Blue Jackets centre Sean Monahan — one of Gaudreau’s best friends who played with him in Calgary for eight seasons — took the draw before gently playing the puck to Panthers pivot Sam Bennett, who also spent several seasons with Gaudreau with the Flames.

Bennett then left the puck in Gaudreau’s open left-wing spot and both teams stood there, still, silent, as 13 seconds ticked off the clock — an ode to the jersey number Gaudreau sported throughout his tenure with both the Flames and Blue Jackets.

As those 13 seconds ticked off the clock, players tapped their sticks on the ice in unison, coaches and officials clapped and wept, and the crowd — many with eyes filled with tears — rose to its feet and gave a thundering ovation follow by a roof-shaking “JOHN-NY HOCK-EY!” chant before the official dropped the puck again to start the game for real.

Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason, who was visibly emotional throughout the memorial, tried to describe the moment to reporters following the game.

“As soon as that happened, I think it hit everybody,” Evason said, via NHL.com.

“Hit me, because then you kind of visualize him standing there, right? I think it hit everybody when they did that. What a fantastic gesture.”

Leaving Gaudreau’s starting left-wing spot open and letting those 13 seconds tick off to begin Tuesday’s contest was one of several tear-jerking tributes from both the Blue Jackets and Panthers. Though technically opponents, this night felt so much different as Florida, a roster which features several of Gaudreau’s good friends including Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk (who didn’t play in this one because of an illness), did their best to honour the late Blue Jackets star.

The Panthers’ effort to honour Gaudreau didn’t go unnoticed by fans.

“This is pure class by the Panthers,” one reply read.

“Very classy and appropriate by the Cats here. We mourn with you all tonight,” one X user wrote, while another post read, “Lots of respect for everyone involved. This is awesome.”

In a statement, Tkachuk, who was behind the Panthers’ Skittles and Gatorade tribute, wrote:

“Johnny was a huge part of the hockey community, but to me, he was much more than that. “A great friend, teammate and family man. Not a day goes by without me thinking about Johnny and Matthew.”

Following the Florida players walking into the arena sporting some of “Johnny Hockey’s” favourite things, Gaudreau was honoured in several other ways leading up to puck drop.

Gaudreau’s No. 13 was painted on the ice behind each net, and both the Panthers and Blue Jackets each wore No. 13 “Gaudreau” jerseys during warmups. The uniforms were auctioned off and raised more than $250,000 for the Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation.

As the Zamboni flooded the surface ahead of the game, the ice turned blue and displayed Johnny’s No. 13 along with his brother Matthew’s No. 21 as a projector played a beautiful slideshow in memory of Johnny’s life and hockey career.

Players then hit the ice under the blue lights to observe a banner-raising ceremony for their late teammate. Johnny’s late wife, Meredith, joined the players on the ice and was joined in a show of solidarity by Monahan, who held one of Gaudreau’s children throughout the emotional ceremony as Gaudreau’s No. 13 was raised to the rafters.

With players from both teams, along with Gaudreau’s family, wife and children, lined up to pay their respects, the Blue Jackets then played a nearly six-minute long tribute to Gaudreau on the video board.

You’ll need to break out the tissues for this one.

Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, also shared a special message ahead of the game, thanking fans and everyone around the hockey community for the support and love she’s received since Johnny’s passing.

The game itself might have featured the most special moment of all, as Monahan, who signed with Columbus this offseason to play with one of his best friends, Gaudreau, scored the Blue Jackets’ second goal of the night.

Upon netting his second of the season, Monham looked to the sky and pointed directly to the “No. 13” banner that was raised to the rafters just over an hour before.

Chills.

The tributes kept pouring in after the game, too.

Aside from retiring his jersey and keeping Gaudreau’s memory alive with images of the late star inside and outside their home arena, the Blue Jackets also announced last month that Gaudreau’s dressing-room stall will be kept as is for the remainder of this season and possibly beyond.

Fans from around the hockey world were blown away by the tributes throughout the night, expressing the widest range of emotions possible after Gaudreau’s memory was honoured in such thoughtful fashion.

Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew — who was also honoured throughout the night — were riding bicycles on the night of Aug. 29 (the eve of their sister’s wedding) near their hometown in New Jersey, when 43-year-old Sean Higgins, who was allegedly impaired, attempted to pass two other vehicles before striking both cyclists from behind with his SUV. Both brothers were pronounced dead at the scene.

Following Wednesday’s game, an emotional Monahan tried, through teary eyes, to express what the plethora of tributes meant to him.

“It was hard, to be honest,” said Monahan, his voice shaking. “It was a special, special moment that I’ll remember forever.

“I felt like John was watching down on us today.”