Skip to content
Johnny Gaudreau: tributes in front of arenas
Credit: Capture d'écran / Screenshot
The deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau sent shockwaves through the hockey world. To see two players in the prime of their lives suddenly pass away like this is news no one expected.

More importantly, it’s news that, ideally, should never have happened in the first place.

Johnny Gaudreau was a household name in the NHL. The forward, who made his mark because of his talent, was also an excellent person. Bob Hartley emphasized this point during his appearance on BPM Sports earlier this evening.

But beyond those who knew him in the NHL, Gaudreau was a player beloved by fans.

He was talented, but he was also charismatic.

Even in Calgary, where things didn’t exactly end well, fans paid tribute to him. A ton of fans turned out to honor him at the Saddledome.

And it’s worth noting that beyond Calgary (and Columbus), Gaudreau is also attracting tributes far from the two cities in which he played.

Even at the Bell Centre, for example, there was (at least) one fan who went to honour him.

It’s beautiful, really.

Obviously, there’s a lot of talk about the two men’s grieving families, and rightly so. It’s a real tragedy, and it’s great to see players (including Cayden Primeau) trying to help the Gaudreau family as best they can.

But today, there are countless hockey fans across the NHL mourning the passing of the two Gaudreau brothers. And to see them honoured in front of various NHL arenas today shows that even though they left us too soon, they will not be forgotten.

In Overtime

– Patrik Laine pays tribute to Johnny Gaudreau, with whom he played in Columbus.

Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) quarterback Jalen Hurts did the same, by the way.

– Ivan Demidov played on his coach’s line today. It was a friendly match, of course.

More Content