Gaudreau Brothers' Legacy Lives On During NHL Stadium Series
If longtime NHL star Johnny Gaudreau hadn’t tragically had his life taken from him last summer, he would’ve been a prominent part of the league’s Stadium Series game involving his Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium. The Blue Jackets were the host team for Saturday’s game, but the Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings both honored Gaudreau in their own way prior to the game.
The Columbus Blue Jackets pose for a photo before the game against the Detroit Red Wings (Aaron Doster-Imagn Images)
The Blue Jackets wore matching black Ugg boots, black sweatpants, Avalon, N.J. Surf Shop sweatshirts and black AMIRI hats. Meanwhile, the Red Wings wore an assortment of jerseys Gaudreau played in over his tremendous on-ice career. Some wore Team USA jerseys, some wore Dubuque Fighting Saints jerseys from Gaudreau’s time in the USHL, some wore Gaudreau’s jersey from Boston College, and other Wings wore the jerseys worn by Gaudreau’s brother, Matthew Gaudreau, who also had his life taken from him in the same incident that killed Johnny Gaudreau.
Johnny Gaudreau’s widow, Meredith Gaudreau, his mother, Jane Gaudreau, and his children were among the Gaudreau family members who appeared at the game. But the outpouring of grief and love for the Gaudreau brothers was evident in the actions of the Wings and Jackets, and it was an indication of the legacy left by two young men who were taken far too soon.
We can’t change what happened to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, but we can pay tribute to who they were as players and as human beings. And at a time where thousands of hockey fans gathered to celebrate the game, it was wonderful to see the impact the Gaudreau brothers had on everyone they came into contact with. The legacy of Johnny and Mathew Gaudreau will only grow from here, but at the Stadium Series outdoor game, it was obvious their legacies are already something to behold.
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