Remembering Johnny Gaudreau
By Maggie Hsu, August 30 2024—
The Columbus Blue Jackets have confirmed the passing of their forward, Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau.
Johnny Gaudreau was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft. Even at 104th overall, Flames fans were skeptical of the pick due to Gaudreau’s size. Listed at 168cm going into the draft, Gaudreau did not fit the usual standard for “Flames Hockey” at the time which emphasized size, strength and grittiness. However, Gaudreau had shown throughout his career in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and NCAA that his size was, in fact, his advantage. And he would do the same in the NHL.
Gaudreau made his NHL debut in the Flames’ final game of the 2013-14 season against the Vancouver Canucks, immediately, he started his campaign to prove everyone wrong by scoring the Flames’ only goal in the game on his first shot of his first professional game. This would simply be the tip of Gaudreau’s legacy with the Calgary Flames.
In his eight seasons with the Flames, Gaudreau revitalized and rewrote the brand of Calgary Flames hockey. Scoring 210 goals and 609 points in 602 regular season games for the Flames and adding 11 goals and 33 points in 42 playoff games for Calgary, Gaudreau was a dominant force on the ice and always a danger to score no matter which team he faced. He launched his name into the upper echelons of Flames legends like Joe Nieuwendyk, Lanny McDonald and Jerome Iginla.
Known affectionately by fans and media of the hockey world as “Johnny Hockey”, Gaudreau embodied the core values of hockey, inspiring players like him who were deemed too small to play elite hockey to push forward and fight for their positions on team rosters. Gaudreau’s energy touched the lives of many fans and citizens of Calgary as well.
The culture of Calgary Flames fans and other sports teams in the city is unique. We in Calgary often find ourselves in the position of idolizing athletes, showing them great love, passion, admiration and respect. However, Flames fans and fans of Calgary sports also tend to rally around our athletes, becoming a community for them – A sentiment that was extended to Gaudreau and the Gaudreau family. Even after Gaudreau’s departure from the Flames at the end of the 2022 season, many jerseys in the crowd at Flames games stayed marked as Gaudreau, showing the love and respect for him as a player and member of this community.
It’s times like these that we are reminded that athletes, despite their incredible talents and our idolization of them, are people just like us. They are parents, spouses, children and siblings to someone so we at the Gauntlet express our deepest condolences to the Gaudreau family as they navigate this difficult time.