Blue Jackets remember Johnny Gaudreau for the joy he brought on and off the ice
Before every game, Johnny Gaudreau ate a mountain of sauce-free pasta topped with butter and paired with a Coca-Cola. The reaction of people witnessing it for the first time is one of the many things Boone Jenner will miss about his former Columbus Blue Jackets teammate.
Gaudreau scored so many highlight-reeled goals from his days with the Calgary Flames that Zach Werenski is grateful the ones showing "Johnny Hockey" dangling around the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman get lost in the shuffle.
Erik Gudbranson played 10 seasons in the NHL before first playing with Gaudreau in Calgary in 2021-22. None of them were like Gaudreau. The Blue Jackets defenseman knew Gaudreau was different after their first beer at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida hotel.
Gudbranson said Gaudreau had a "unique way of driving me crazy" that only made their friendship tighter. He says Gaudreau purposely showed up seven minutes late to their drives to the rink because Gaudreau knew his teammate's stress level for punctuality.
"His positive energy day in and day out was infectious when you were around him," Jenner said. "We're really going to miss the way he made us laugh and smile on any given day, especially after a big win by his Eagles. We'd hear about it for the next week."
The Blue Jackets on Wednesday continued to mourn the tragic death of Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who were killed by a suspected drunk driver last week in Salem County, New Jersey.
Gudbranson, Jenner, and Werenski were among a group of Blue Jackets players and their president of hockey operations to remember their former teammate during a press conference Wednesday. They remembered Gaudreau as a superstar on the ice who played the game with such joy and passion that it rubbed off on his teammates, and his competitive nature extended off it.
"Many of us know John for superstardom on the ice," Jenner said. "He played with such joy and passion, dominating at every level he went despite the odds stacked against him due to his size. But we will miss the way he carried that same joy off the ice, whether it was at the arena or at home with his family. A joy I was so lucky to have witnessed."
The Gaudreau brothers were struck and killed by 43-year-old Sean Higgins of Woodstown, New Jersey, last Thursday night, according to New Jersey State Police. Police said Higgins tried to pass another vehicle when he hit the Gaudreau brothers, who were riding their bikes on County Route 551 in Oldsmann Township.
Two candlelight vigils will be held Wednesday in remembrance of the Gaudreau brothers. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets will have one outside Nationwide Arena at 7:30 p.m., while the Calgary Flames will have one outside Scotiabank Saddledome at 10 p.m. ET.
Jenner didn't know Matthew Gaudreau as much as he did his Blue Jackets teammate, but he knew one thing from his time with "Johnny Hockey" and hearing stories. The brothers were "incredibly close and shared an inseparable bond."
"Whenever you met one Gaudreau, it wasn't long after you were meeting another and then receiving a bottle of Guy [Gaudreau]'s homemade maple syrup," Jenner said. "It was easy to see very quickly how tight-knit and together their family was.
"One thing I admired was that John never forgot where he came from."
The Gaudreau brothers grew up in Carneys Point Township in New Jersey and were Philadelphia sports fans. They each played for the Little Flyers and Team Comcast. They attended Gloucester Catholic High School and played hockey there. They both played at Boston College. They played one season together at BC in 2013-14, when Johnny Gaudreau won the Hobey Baker Award.
The Gaudreau family released a statement Tuesday thanking the New Jersey, Philadelphia and hockey communities for the outpouring of support after the brothers' deaths. Memorials have sprouted near the crash scene, outside Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, New Jersey, Columbus, Ohio and Calgary, among other places.
On Tuesday night, Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield said he was switching his jersey number to No. 13 to honor Johnny Gaudreau, whom he played with on Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Championships and called his "hero."
Gaudreau was drafted by the Flames in 2011 and registered 609 points across nine seasons in Calgary. He became a free agent in the summer of 2022 and inked a seven-year, nearly $69 million contract with the Blue Jackets.
Werenski is entering his ninth season in the Columbus organization. He can't remember a more exciting day as a Blue Jacket than when Gaudreau signed.
"I remember texting Boone and Eric Robinson when the reports were coming out, and we just couldn't believe it," Werenski said. "Johnny Hockey was a player that everyone watched whether you were a hockey fan or not."
"But seriously, I want to say — thank you, John, for choosing Columbus when other people wouldn't. You brought so much joy and excitement to this city. I've never quite seen anything like it, something only truly special players can do. And that's what you were."
