Johnny Gaudreau, who showed electrifying offensive talent and was a fan favorite with the Calgary Flames and was still in the prime of his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets, died Thursday in a tragic accident. The NHL and Blue Jackets confirmed the terrible news Friday morning: Johnny, 31, and his younger brother Matthew, 29, were killed. Reports from his hometown in New Jersey said two adult bicyclists were hit by a vehicle.
“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic deaths of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “Although Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and his breathtaking skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; “He was a beloved father, husband, son , brother and teammate, loved by all who were lucky enough to cross his path. » Gaudreau often talked about how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey, and he carried that same youthful passion into his 11 NHL seasons. A game pro, Gaudreau appeared in the NHL All-Star Game seven times, where he was always a fan favorite, especially when he showed off his talent in the various skill contests for which he was so well prepared. “He will be fondly remembered in Calgary, where he played his first nine seasons with the Flames from 2013-14 to 2021-22, emerging as one of our league’s brightest young stars while compiling a total of the franchise’s fifth career high in points.His loss will also be deep in Columbus, the city in which he chose to settle his family and where he was one of the respected and veteran leaders of a club on the way to the playoffs. And Johnny and Matthew will be mourned at Boston College, where they were teammates the year Johnny won the Hobey Baker Award in 2013-14, and at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, where they both played and where Matthew retired the leading hockey player after his five-year professional career.
“We send our deepest condolences to his wife Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, Guy and Jane, and his sisters Kristen and Katie. And we mourn with his teammates, the members of the the Blue Jackets and Flames organizations, his many hockey friends and the countless fans around the world for whom he created indelible memories on and off the ice.”