NHL honors the Gaudreau Brothers

The NHL's public relations department sends daily emails to members of the media. Some are important, others you can just skip, but today's version of the daily Morning Skate email no one will skip.

As far as I can remember, I have never seen the League 32 fandom come together like it did when the tragic deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were announced. The brothers had been cycling during their sister's wedding weekend when tragedy struck. A suspected drunk driver ran them over, killing them both instantly.

In the hours following the events, the rumor mill was churning, with everyone eagerly awaiting confirmation of the news before allowing themselves to believe it. Calgary Flames fans were devastated, their team had taken Johnny out of a putt and he thrilled them for eight years before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent. As a family man, he wanted to be closer to his family on the East Coast and was able to spend two seasons with them before tragedy struck. Jackets fans felt like they were in a never-ending nightmare after losing Matiss Kivlenieks in a freak fireworks accident in 2021.

Today's email from the NHL PR department takes a look back at the life and times of the Gaudreau brothers, as well as what has happened since their untimely deaths. There's a section with reactions from players, but also a paragraph about former Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan:

Online tributes from former teams, fans and star players from other leagues also honored the lives of Matthew and Johnny, with their respective No. 21 and No. 13 being featured prominently in many tributes – and Johnny's No. 8 jersey being retired by his USHL Team. Johnny's wife Meredith engaged in many social media tributes and shared memories in her own posts, including one dedicated to “John's favorite man in the world.” Along with a video of Johnny talking about his friendship with Sean Monahan, who signed with the Blue Jackets in July, Meredith posted: “It's been really hard watching hockey take off and seeing how changed my life is now .” I have cared for John and our children my whole life. It's everything I ever wanted. But I know John has always wanted to watch Sean wear CBJ. Noa also loves cheering on Uncle Sean. I wish 23 a good training camp and can’t wait to cheer you on.”

Everyone around the league will have a very heavy heart as the season begins without Johnny Gaudreau's fabulous smile and tremendous skills, but it will undoubtedly be even more difficult for Monahan, who was looking forward to signing with Columbus this summer and becoming his former Calgary teammates to transfer to Ohio, hoping to recreate their magic.

If there's anything this summer has taught everyone, it's that we all only have a limited amount of time on this earth and we should make the most of it while we're here. NHL players will all wear a 1321 decal behind their helmets to honor the brothers' memory.

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