Sean Monahan and John Gaudreau
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesThe Columbus Blue Jackets’ first win of the season was bittersweet in the middle Sean Monahan following the death of friend and colleague Johnny Gaudreau.
“It was nice to get our first win. You feel the love from this organization,” Monahan, 29, told reporters after the game on Saturday, October 12. “I feel the love from my teammates and, obviously, I feel the love from John.”
Meredith Gaudreauwho was married to Johnny before his death, reposted this photo on her Instagram Story. He captioned the upload, “Family 💙.”
Monahan, who joined the Blue Jackets earlier this season, helped the Ohio-based team beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-4 on Saturday. The win marked the team’s first since Johnny’s death.
Courtesy of Madeline Gaudreau/Instagram Members of the Gaudreau family have continued to speak out following the deaths of NHL forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau. Johnny and Matthew died on the night of August 29 while riding their bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. Us Weekly can confirm that the brothers were smitten […]
Johnny, a forward for the Blue Jackets, was hit and killed in an August car accident with his brother Matthew Gaudreau. They were 31 and 29 years old respectively.
Johnny and Monahan first met as teammates with the Calgary Flames. The season we are in was supposed to be the first to play together for the Blue Jackets.
“Obviously it’s difficult. [I] I never talked about it in public at all. I don’t know the exact words to say, but I’m excited about the season,” Monahan recalled in a Sept. 18 press conference. “We’re going to miss Johnny. I will miss Johnny very much. It’s something I think about every day. It’s really hard to get through, but we have a great team here. We will miss him as a team.”
After Johnny’s death, the Blue Jackets planned to honor his legacy throughout the season by displaying a memorial inside the stadium and keeping his donated locker intact. The number 13 jersey (Johnny’s number) will also be worn for all away games. Players also added a “Gaudreau” sticker to their helmets and a 13-pointer to their jerseys.
“There is a lot of weight on our shoulders right now. There is a great loss, a special person is gone,” Monahan concluded last month. “It’s on my mind every day, every second. Obviously we want to put our best foot forward and give our best effort to Johnny. “
Other NHL teams also paid the tax. Johnny’s former team, the Calgary Flames, played a video tribute to him on Saturday, complete with his signature song, “Johnny B. Goode,” as Johnny’s No. 13 flashed on the Jumbotron.
“I hear Johnny’s goal song in the Dome again [gave me] quick chill,” Meredith, who shares two young children with Johnny and is currently pregnant with child number 3, wrote on her Instagram Story on Sunday, October 13. “The C of red [sic] when they went crazy, chanting his name like they always did when Johnny scored a miracle goal, even an easy one.”
He added, “Last night’s service was very good. Sad but good. Johnny will forever be loved in the hearts of many who worshiped him in Calgary.”