Over three months later, it’s still hard to comprehend the tragic passing of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
No matter an individual’s rooting interest, the hockey world lost two amazing young men thanks to a senseless tragedy on Aug. 29, 2024. For the first time since the passing of the brothers, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Johnny’s final team, face off against the Flames in Calgary, Johnny’s first team. The two teams played less than a week ago in Ohio.
In this edition of Throwback Tuesday, we’ll celebrate the accomplishments of Johnny Hockey, both with the Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The life of Johnny Gaudreau
Johnny’s first and only United States Hockey League season was in 2010-11, playing for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. In the regular season, he scored 36 goals and 72 points in 60 games, finishing fourth in points and second in goals, helping lead the team to the postseason. The Fighting Saints lifted the Clark Cup in their first season, with Gaudreau scoring five goals and 11 points in 11 games, including an empty net goal in the deciding Game 4 of the Finals.
On June 25, 2011, the second day of the National Hockey League’s 2011 draft, Gaudreau was picked 104th overall by the Flames. However, he honoured his commitment to Boston College. The winning continued in the 2011-12 season for Gaudreau, as his collegiate team won the championship with a 4-1 victory over Ferris State, with Gaudreau scoring his 21st goal of the season for an otherworldly goal.
Gaudreau made Team USA’s roster for the 2013 World Junior Championship. They finished third in Group B action, but Gaudreau scored a hat trick in a 7-0 quarterfinal victory over Czechia, before another two goals in a 5-1 victory against Team Canada. While he was held pointless in the final game, Gaudreau and his nation won their third Gold Medal in tournament history.
Although Gaudreau’s Boston College never won another championship, he had some personal success in his final two seasons. He was named the Hobey Baker Award winner for the 2013-14 season, as he scored 36 goals and 80 points in 40 games in his final collegiate season. After the season, Gaudreau played a game for the Flames, picking up his first career goal midway through the third period.
Gaudreau’s rookie season saw him score 24 goals and 64 points, helping the rebuilding Flames make a shocking run to the post-season. In 11 games in the 2015 playoffs, Gaudreau scored four goals and nine points, helping the Flames knock off the Vancouver Canucks in the first round. His goal early in the second period of the deciding Game 6 saw the Flames storm back from a 6-0 deficit.
However, Gaudreau’s biggest post-season goal that season came in Game 3 of the second round. With the Flames’ backs against the wall, down 2-0 in the series and 3-2 in the final minute, Gaudreau scored with 20 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
Throughout seven seasons, Gaudreau continued to put up fantastic numbers, scoring a then-career-high 36 goals and 99 points in the 2018-19 season as the Flames made the postseason once again. His best season of his career came in 2021-22, where he scored 40 goals and 115 points in 82 games, helping the Flames finish first in the Pacific Division. His only National Hockey League hardware came this season, as he won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.
Always the clutch player, Gaudreau’s most memorable goal was one that every kid dreams of. Against the Dallas Stars in overtime of Game 7 of the first round, Gaudreau’s odd-angle shot beat Jake Oettinger to send the Flames to the second round for the first time since his rookie season.
In free agency, Gaudreau signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a young, up-and-coming team that needed some veteran leadership. Gaudreau’s first season saw him score 21 goals and 74 points in 80 games, followed by 12 goals and 60 points in 81 games.
Tragically, Gaudreau didn’t have any career-defining moments with the Blue Jackets before his passing. With that being said, his impact on the game, a fourth-round pick who stood at just 5’9”, 163 lbs cannot be understated.
Tuesday’s game against the Flames and the Blue Jackets will have a pre-game ceremony for two teams that will forever be linked to one another. Johnny Hockey’s legacy will be remembered by not just Flame and Blue Jacket fans, but every hockey fan. May he and Matthew rest in peace.
