Sean Monahan Talked 'Best Friend' Johnny Gaudreau Just Days Ago

New Columbus Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan recently spoke about his close friend Johnny Gaudreau.

Mar 17, 2021; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) and center Sean Monahan (23) on their bench against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The sports world is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. While teams from across the NHL share their condolences to the Blue Jackets and the Gaudreau family, one of Johnny’s best friends recently spoke about a full-circle moment between the two.

Sean Monahan and Gaudreau were teammates for nine seasons with the Calgary Flames and were two of the best players on the roster each year. Monahan and Gaudreau grew to be close friends even after they both left the Flames in 2022.

Gaudreau signed a deal with the Blue Jackets and Monahan joined the Montreal Canadiens and was later traded to the Winnipeg Jets.

As a free agent this offseason, Monahan was set to reunite with his best pal in Columbus after signing a five-year contract. Shortly after signing, Monahan talked before about how excited he was to re-kindle that on-ice chemistry with Gaudreau in Columbus.

Just the day before Gaudreau’s untimely passing, Monahan again spoke about his excitement to play in Columbus. While on the What Chaos! podcast, Monahan stated he didn’t join Columbus just because of Gaudreau, but it was a factor.

“Johnny’s one of my best friends,” Monahan said. “To come back and be able to play with him again is pretty cool.”

When asked to open up about Gaudreau and share some details about his friend, Monahan detailed just how great of a person he is.

“Just an awesome all-around guy,” Monahan said. “Great dad, great friend, and obviously, a special player.”

Considering the timing of the interview and the way Monahan spoke so highly of Gaudreau, it makes the tragic events even tougher to process. The next few minutes of the podcast were centered around Monahan and Gaudreau’s friendship and time spent together in Calgary.

Monahan told the NHLPA’s Chris Lomon that he was looking forward to playing with Gaudreau and building something special in Columbus.

“I am really looking forward to being teammates with Johnny again,” Monahan said. “Johnny is motivated to have a big season and be a huge part of the team and I’m excited to have the opportunity to reignite the chemistry we had for close to a decade."

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