At 5 feet 9 inches, 150 pounds, Johnny Gaudreau wasn’t your typical N.H.L player. Nicknamed ‘Johnny Hockey’ for his “infectious spirit for the game,” Gaudreau’s impact off the ice was as big as his impact on it.
At 8 p.m. on August 29th, the evening before their sister’s wedding, a drunk driver killed Johnny and his younger brother Matthew. They were 31 and 29, respectively. Tragedy had struck the hockey world. The Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who Gaudreau played for during his N.H.L career, posted tributes in honor of the late brothers. The entire league – players, organizations, supporters – were publicly mourning Johnny Hockey.
Johnny Gaudreau was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 4th round of the 2011 N.H.L entry draft and made his debut for the team in 2014. During the years in between, Gaudreau attended Boston College to play Division 1 hockey and won the Hobey Baker, the award given to the best collegiate hockey player each year.
Gaudreau amassed 609 points in 602 games for Calgary. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for the 2016/17 hockey season which is awarded to the player who “exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and…a high standard of playing ability.” There have been calls from fans online to posthumously rename the award in Gaudreau’s honor.
Gaudreau would eventually depart the Flames in 2022 after deciding not to sign with the team during free agency and instead inking a seven-year contract with the Blue Jackets in the name of being closer to his family. The signing was a shock, but when Gaudreau played his first game back in Calgary he was met with a heart-warming tribute video and applause that outweighed any booing.
In his 2022 Players’ Tribune essay titled “To Calgary,” Gaudreau wrote, “I hope the people of Calgary can remember me not only as a hockey player, but also as a good person with good values.” Gaudreau was known for his impact in the community; he had his own charity, the Johnny Gaudreau Scholarship Tournament, which raised money for underprivileged students in his hometown of Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. When Patrick Laine’s injuries during the 2023/24 season stopped him from fulfilling his promise to donate $1,000 for every point he recorded, Gaudreau stepped in and raised $26,000 for men’s mental health.
The Gaudreau family have received support in return. Following the brothers’ deaths, a GoFundMe set up for Matthew Gaudreau’s widow and their unborn son raised over $500,000 in three days. Flowers, jerseys, messages written in chalk, and Gaudreau’s iconic purple Gatorade bottles were left outside both the Flames’ and Blue Jackets’ arenas.
As Stanley Cup winner and former Calgary captain Lanny McDonald wrote in a tribute on his Instagram, “Go easy on those legends up there in heaven’s rink boys. You’re getting there earlier than expected, but they’ll take good care of you.”
