Gaudreau Still Top Of Mind As NHL Teams Open Training Camp

The league and Johnny Gaudreau's close friends are missing the hockey superstar as camps open without him

Not much time has passed since a devastated Sean Monahan walked out of a church, in visible emotional turmoil, as a pallbearer at the funeral of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. 

This week was supposed to mark a new milestone in their personal and professional relationship. The former Calgary Flames dynamic duo was going to be reunited on the ice after Monahan inked a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer. 

Instead, it was a mourning Monahan talking to the Blue Jackets media when they opened training camp. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the No. 13 and Gaudreau's image on the front as he spoke. Johnny and Matthew died Aug. 29 when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles in Salem County, New Jersey. The Flames recently took down an impromptu memorial but put a lot of thought into how to put the items to good use. 

“It’s obviously tough. Haven’t really talked publicly about it at all. I still don’t know the exact words to even say," Monahan told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re going to miss Johnny. I’m going to miss Johnny a lot." 

The Blue Jackets are honouring Gadreau by keeping his stall in the locker room at Nationwide Arena this season.

“I’m actually still sitting beside Johnny,” Monahan said. “Pretty special. I get to get that memory every day.”

Former Flames teammate Andrew Mangiapane, who had Gaudreau in his wedding party this summer, 

"Johnny was one of my best friends in hockey. So definitely very sad, definitely going to miss him," said Mangiapane, a member of the Washington Capitals, who was also a pallbearer at the funeral. "It still doesn't make sense to me. I don't think it ever will."

Matthew Tkachuk, coming off a Stanley Cup season with the Florida Panthers, had a summer of celebration turn into sadness. He was another former Flames star who was at the service. 

“Of all the great things that happened this summer, it’s almost overshadowed by what has happened over the past couple of weeks," Tkachuk said. “It has been a terrible time. It really has. It is the saddest thing I have ever seen or heard. 

“Johnny is one of my favorite teammates I ever played with. But he was more than a teammate to me; he was such a great friend. It doesn’t matter if you knew them or played against them, or even if you have a sibling, everyone can relate to this. It has been terrible. You’ll always carry something around. He will always be with me."