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Flames, Blue Jackets Honor Late Johnny Gaudreau With Emotional Pre-Game Ceremony

Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, tragically passed away in a cycling accident this past summer.

Mike Kadlick

The Flames and Blue Jackets honored the late Johnny Gaudreau on Tuesday in Calgary.
The Flames and Blue Jackets honored the late Johnny Gaudreau on Tuesday in Calgary. / Image via @Sportsnet on X.
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Ahead of their second matchup of the 2024–25 NHL season (their first in Calgary), the Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets put together an emotional pre-game ceremony to honor their late former teammate Johnny Gaudreau, who tragically died in August.

Gaudreau played for both Calgary and Columbus over his 11-year NHL career and in his honor, both teams warmed up in his jersey before Tuesday's game. Check it out:

The 31-year-old Gaudreau and his brother Matthew (29) died in a biking accident this past summer while celebrating their sister's wedding in New Jersey. They were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver.

The two teams also invited Gaudreau's family members—parents Guy and Jane, sisters Katie and Kristen and Johnny's wife Meredith with their children Noa and Johnny Jr.—to center ice for a ceremonial puck drop. The family was flanked by the entire Calgary and Columbus benches:

Fans were asked to shine their cell phone flashlights to "show their collective support for the Gaudreau family through light," capturing this incredible scene:

Gaudreau won the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top men's college ice hockey player, as a member of the Boston College Eagles in 2014. He played eight full seasons in Calgary before being traded to Columbus ahead of the 2022–23 season. Matthew played for Boston College from 2011 to '14 before stints in both the AHL and ECHL.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a breaking/trending news writer at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He graduated from Boston University with his Master's in 2021. Mike is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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