Columbus Blue Jackets pay emotional tribute to late Johnny Gaudreau with his widow and children out on the ice

Emotions ran high at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night as the Columbus Blue Jackets paid an emotional tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed in a bike crash on August 29.

Johnny and his brother Matthew – who also played professional hockey – were cycling in rural New Jersey when they were struck by a drunk driver’s vehicle on the eve of their sister’s wedding.

In their home opener, the tributes to Gaudreau came in different forms, as his wife Meredith stepped out to the field with their daughter Noa and son John. Blue Jackets star and Gaudreau’s friend, Sean Monahan, held John as the team elevated a banner with his name and jersey number 13 to the rafters.

Fans cheered, both teams stick-tapped the ice in the traditional hockey salute, and his family looked on from the sideline, their arms intertwined.

Before the puck dropped, the teams stood still as 13 seconds ran off the clock, and with his left-wing position vacant, the Blue Jackets sent four skaters onto the ice instead of the usual five.

The Columbus Blue Jackets paid an emotional tribute to Johnny Gaudreau on Tuesday night 

The puck dropped, and Monahan passed it to Florida’s Sam Bennett – both were teammates with Gaudreau in Calgary.

‘I don’t want anyone to be sad,’ Meredith said in a recorded message played shortly before face-off. ‘I want you all to be inspired by the life that John lived. That means love your family first and foremost, and when it’s time to drop the puck let’s love the game that John loved.’

The ’13’ tributes were everywhere. Both the Blue Jackets and Panthers took the ice for warmups wearing jerseys bearing the name Gaudreau and jersey number 13; those sweaters will be auctioned and raffled off to benefit the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation. There was a ’13’ on the ice behind the goals. All fans in attendance received a ’13’ patch, the ones Blue Jackets players will be wearing on their jerseys this season.

‘It’s an emotional night for the hockey world,’ Bennett said. ‘I’m glad I can be here and honor his legacy in any way.’

Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed in a bicycle crash in New Jersey on Aug. 29 

Johnny left his wife Meredith Gaudreau with their two children; daughter Noa and son John 

Sean Monahan held John as the team elevated a banner with Johnny’s name to the rafters 

Johnny and Matthew’s parents and sister watched the tributes from the sideline 

The Panthers, like the rest of the NHL, are mourning right along with the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau was beloved by players, whether they ever were his teammates or not. Florida star Matthew Tkachuk, who missed the game with illness, knows of Gaudreau’s affinity for purple Gatorade and bags of Skittles. So, every Panthers player got off the bus in Columbus on Tuesday afternoon with Gatorade and Skittles in their hands.

‘Johnny was a huge part of the hockey community but to me, he was much more than that,’ Tkachuk said. ‘A great friend, teammate, and family man. Not a day goes by without me thinking about Johnny and Matthew.’

Matthew – who was 29 and played five pro seasons in the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League, and in Sweden – wore jersey No. 21. All 32 NHL teams are wearing decals on their helmets with 13, 21, and the letter G on their helmets through Oct. 24. USA Hockey has a similar tribute for its teams at all levels this year.

Both teams wore a 13 patch on their jersey as part of the numerous tributes to the late winger 

The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins was charged with two counts of death by auto

Monahan would score early into the second period and immediately pointed to the banner honoring Gaudreau.

The driver behind the wheel, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, was charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container, and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle in September.

At a virtual court hearing, a judge ordered that he be held for trial despite defense arguments that he was a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.

‘It´s such an unprecedented thing and something that obviously none of us wanted to go through, and nobody ever wants to go through it,’ Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said Monday as final preparations for the home-opener celebration of the Gaudreaus were being made. ‘But we have to.’