What else is there to say that hasn’t been said?
In times like this, I am incredibly grateful for this job because it provides me with an outlet to write about a sport I love and publish content for people to read, engage with, learn from, and hopefully enjoy. But it also allows me to cover special players and, most importantly, special people.
Johnny Gaudreau was both of those things.
While I wasn’t at this site when he was with the Flames, I watched my fair share of the Gaudreau-led Flames in person when they visited the Nashville Predators, my hometown team. Instead of going to the Predators’ side of the rink for warmups, I would always stand on the visitor’s side. So, naturally, I have plenty of videos of Gaudreau’s warmup routine from over the years because he was the player I wanted to watch the most.
If Gaudreau can make that kind of impact on me as a kid from the south, he certainly did it a hundred times more for those in the Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets communities. Not only was he a huge figure on the ice, but he supported initiatives for mental health, Pizza 73, and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, and did so many other things for children who may not be able to live a “normal” life for one reason or another but still loved the Flames as much as any other fan. And while he was doing that, Gaudreau was one of the best producers in the history of the Flames organization.
In nine years with the Flames organization, Gaudreau played 602 games and registered 609 points, which is an impressive 1.01 points per game. He made the 2014-15 All-Rookie team, was a one-time All-Star, and won the 2016-17 Lady Byng Trophy. He’s ninth all-time in goals scored by a Flames player and fifth all-time in assists by a Flames player. He was one away from hitting 400 in his career with Calgary. Finally, he was fifth in team history in points.
The Blue Jackets and Flames will inevitably honour him, but many on social media today proposed naming an NHL award after Gaudreau, to which the response was resoundingly in favour of the idea.
So, what could that look like?
Some in the hockey community proposed retiring the Lady Byng and creating a new award in Gaudreau’s name.
Controversial, but I would support retiring the Lady Byng after 24-25 (its 100 year anniversary) and replacing it with a Gaudreau Award, voted by the NHLPA.
The Byng is not valued by players and it’s a joke that it’s voted by the media just looking at who doesn’t take penalties. https://t.co/qSHLr1emTI
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 30, 2024
Considering it was the only award that Gaudreau won in his NHL time (although many would argue he deserved other awards like the Hart Trophy in 2021-22 after he scored 115 points with 75 assists and led the Flames to first place in the Pacific Division and third in the Western Conference), it would make sense if the NHL decided to replace the Byng with something a little more fresh in honour of Gaudreau and his legacy. The NHLPA voting on the award is a nice touch, too.
My favourite option, though, was an award given to the player who registers the most assists in a season in the name of Gaudreau, one of the most unselfish players in the game since joining the league. Since 2015, he tallied the seventh-most assists in the NHL with 500 on the dot, and adding an award that would make a “Triple Crown” combination possible with the Rocket Richard and Art Ross Trophies could be a fun way to keep Gaudreau’s legacy alive.
No matter which way you might lean (or other ideas you have for awards that could be named after Johnny or both he and Matthew, which we’d love to hear), it feels like something named after a player who defined a generation of hockey for so many young people, including many of the young players in today’s NHL like Cole Caufield, Kent Johnson, Trevor Zegras, and more, is an easy but thoughtful way to help a grieving community heal even just a slight bit. Recognition like that is excellent for healing fans, friends, family members, communities, and many more.
This loss hurts everyone in the hockey community. If you’re one of our consistent readers and struggling, it’s okay. If you’re here for the first time and struggling, it’s okay. Even if you didn’t know Gaudreau personally, he impacted so many lives with his play, his personality, and his charity work. It’s a heartbreaking time right now. Hugging loved ones, being grateful for what we have, and supporting those in and close to the Gaudreau family are all we can do at this point.
