An emotional video tribute to Johnny Gaudreau and 13 seconds of silence — for his uniform quantity — opened the Columbus Blue Jackets’ first sport at Nationwide Area because the star participant’s loss of life almost a month in the past.The tributes got here simply previous to the Blue Jackets’ 3-0 preseason victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday evening. Gaudreau and brother Matthew have been killed Aug. 29 close to their boyhood dwelling in New Jersey when police stated they have been struck by a suspected drunken driver whereas they have been driving bicycles on the eve of sister Katie’s wedding ceremony. The driving force who police say struck them is charged with two counts of loss of life by auto, together with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motorized vehicle.Associated video above: Driver charged in Gaudreau brothers’ deathsStarting with preseason video games, the Blue Jackets are carrying helmet stickers with “Gaudreau” printed between the photographs of two doves and the uniform numbers of the brothers, No. 13 for Johnny, No. 21 for Matthew, the quantity he wore as a participant for Boston School.”I believe you place your self in a few of these conditions the place you’d have John round,” Columbus ahead Sean Kuraly stated. “Occupied with him all day, clearly. Drive to the rink and quite a lot of occasions I might decide him up on the best way. So he is not there for that. I spent quite a lot of the day desirous about John. When he is not there with us, it is a robust day.”Columbus gamers will put on a commemorative patch starting with the primary regular-season sport with Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13.Conventional actions for the house opener Oct. 15 might be postponed so the evening might be devoted to paying tribute to the Gaudreau brothers. The house opener might be celebrated two nights later as a substitute.One of many worst groups within the NHL final season, the Blue Jackets should discover a strategy to transfer ahead with a brand new normal supervisor and new coach and with an enormous void left on and off the ice by the loss of life of 31-year-old “Johnny Hockey.”Gaudreau’s jersey nonetheless hangs in his dressing stall within the Columbus locker room.”The blokes are shut,” new coach Dean Evason. “And that does not simply imply the blokes which were right here in Columbus. It is everybody right here on this camp. We have seen an actual close-knit group.”That is the group’s second coaching camp in recent times that follows the offseason loss of life of a participant. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast on the wedding ceremony of an assistant coach’s daughter. On Wednesday evening, Denton Mateychuk and Kirill Marchenko scored for Columbus, with Kuraly choosing up assists on each. Kent Johnson bought an empty-net aim with 43 seconds left.
An emotional video tribute to Johnny Gaudreau and 13 seconds of silence — for his uniform quantity — opened the Columbus Blue Jackets’ first sport at Nationwide Area because the star participant’s loss of life almost a month in the past.
The tributes got here simply previous to the Blue Jackets’ 3-0 preseason victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday evening.
Gaudreau and brother Matthew have been killed Aug. 29 close to their boyhood dwelling in New Jersey when police stated they have been struck by a suspected drunken driver whereas they have been driving bicycles on the eve of sister Katie’s wedding ceremony. The driving force who police say struck them is charged with two counts of loss of life by auto, together with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motorized vehicle.
Associated video above: Driver charged in Gaudreau brothers’ deaths
Beginning with preseason video games, the Blue Jackets are carrying helmet stickers with “Gaudreau” printed between the photographs of two doves and the uniform numbers of the brothers, No. 13 for Johnny, No. 21 for Matthew, the quantity he wore as a participant for Boston School.
“I believe you place your self in a few of these conditions the place you’d have John round,” Columbus ahead Sean Kuraly stated. “Occupied with him all day, clearly. Drive to the rink and quite a lot of occasions I might decide him up on the best way. So he is not there for that. I spent quite a lot of the day desirous about John. When he is not there with us, it is a robust day.”
Columbus gamers will put on a commemorative patch starting with the primary regular-season sport with Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13.
Conventional actions for the house opener Oct. 15 might be postponed so the evening might be devoted to paying tribute to the Gaudreau brothers. The house opener might be celebrated two nights later as a substitute.
One of many worst groups within the NHL final season, the Blue Jackets should discover a strategy to transfer ahead with a brand new normal supervisor and new coach and with an enormous void left on and off the ice by the loss of life of 31-year-old “Johnny Hockey.”
Gaudreau’s jersey nonetheless hangs in his dressing stall within the Columbus locker room.
“The blokes are shut,” new coach Dean Evason. “And that does not simply imply the blokes which were right here in Columbus. It is everybody right here on this camp. We have seen an actual close-knit group.”
That is the group’s second coaching camp in recent times that follows the offseason loss of life of a participant. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast on the wedding ceremony of an assistant coach’s daughter.
On Wednesday evening, Denton Mateychuk and Kirill Marchenko scored for Columbus, with Kuraly choosing up assists on each. Kent Johnson bought an empty-net aim with 43 seconds left.
