Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau -- A Tragic Loss Rocking the Hockey World

By the time you read this, it will have been one week since the hockey world woke up to the tragic news that Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were tragically and senselessly killed last Thursday night by a drunk driver.

As a hockey fan, this just hurts. It’s going to take quite some time for this hurt to go away. I can’t tell you how many times since Monday I’ve had something written out and then completely deleted it. There are no words….

When I first saw a Facebook post with a picture with “In Memory of Johnny Gaudreau, 1993-2004,” I seriously thought it was some kind of cruel joke. Granted, I had only woken up for the day about 20 minutes before I saw that. Once I pulled up the NHL’s website on my phone and saw the headlines of not only was Johnny killed, but also Matthew— it has felt like a never-ending punch to the gut.

As a fan of the Minnesota Wild, I was lucky to have been able to see Johnny play in person at the X (Xcel Energy Center) when he was with the Calgary Flames. I also did get to see him at least once since he joined the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, my absolute favorite memory of Johnny was one I witnessed on TV two years ago when he was with the Flames as he scored the series winning, overtime goal against the Dallas Stars at the Saddledome. I loved it. He had a HUGE smile on his face. Dallas was knocked out of the playoffs. It was beautiful! It was that goal that cemented Johnny’s place in Flames’ history (see Johnny's series winning goal). 

But the best moment came after when Johnny was heading back to the locker room and his buddy Sean Monahan was waiting for him with a big smile on his face and a huge hug for his former linemate. (see Sean and Johnny)

 As Friday went on, reading about what happened to Johnny and Matthew—how they were supposed to be groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding that afternoon, seeing pictures of Johnny with his wife and two very young kids celebrating his 31^st birthday back on August 13, to reading about how Matthew and his wife are expecting their first child, a boy, around New Year’s Eve, seeing pictures of Johnny and Matthew together and with their family, etc., reading how Sean Monahan was going to reunite this upcoming season with his good friend in Columbus--all I can think about is how it’s so unfair that this even happened in the first place.

And it could have easily been prevented. 

Now, the Blue Jackets faithful are mourning the loss of Johnny (and Matthew). However, they are joined in their grief with not only the Calgary Flames and their fanbase—but the entire hockey world.  And this is a loss that is going to linger for quite some time.
I watched videos from last night’s candlelight vigils in both Calgary and Columbus and you could see how loved Johnny was in both cities, with both of those fan bases. In seeing videos of current and former teammates speaking at both vigil sites, it brought tears to my eyes because of how loved Johnny was. And they didn’t forget about Matthew, either.

Now, many of these guys will be at a funeral come Monday…

And it’s not fair.

I think about how Johnny and his wife should have been celebrating their third wedding anniversary on Wednesday. I think about how Matthew should have been preparing to join a junior level team as an assistant coach this season after having been the head coach of the Gloucester Catholic boys hockey team—the same high school hockey team he and Johnny played for while their dad was the head coach and hockey director. I think of how Matthew and Johnny should have been celebrating their sister Katie’s wedding that was supposed to take place a week ago—with both of them serving as groomsmen and their wives as bridesmaids—along with the rest of their family. I think about how Matthew should be with his wife as they expect their first child together at the end of this year. I think of how Johnny would be heading into his third season with the Blue Jackets and reuniting with his good friend and former Flames teammate Sean Monahan. I think of how Johnny should be looking forward to seeing his baby boy near the glass during pregame warmups all dressed up in a little Gaudreau jersey, along with his daughter (who I swear looks just like her daddy).

Instead of all of that, Johnny and Matthew’s family and friends are preparing to say goodbye to them.

There are going to be teammates (both past and present) who are going to navigate the start of the 2024-25 NHL season with heavy hearts and still grieving. There are friends who are going to have to navigate life without their good friends. There is a family who is dealing with the unimaginable tragedy of losing two beloved members.  

There are two young widows who now have to navigate life without their husbands. There is a 22-month-old little girl and a 6-month-old baby boy who are too young to understand the loss of their daddy. There’s a baby boy that is expected to be born at the end of this year who will never meet his daddy.

And that is what is extremely unfair and senseless. 

To the Gaudreau family and their friends, the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, the Blue Jackets Fan base (and the 5^th line), words cannot express my sincere condolences on this tragic loss.

In Memory of Johnny (1993-2024) and Matthew (1994-2024) Gaudreau.