Florida Panthers Honor the Memory of Johnny Gaudreau on Emotional Night in Columbus

“All around, he was an amazing human being and he is gonna be missed,” Adam Boqvist said.

Photo via the Calgary Flames

The Florida Panthers came to Columbus wanting to do anything they could to help the Blue Jackets honor the life and memory of Johnny and Matthew Guadreau during their home opener after their tragic passings this summer due to the actions of a drunk driver.

When each Florida player got off the bus and arrived at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday evening, they were all carrying skittles and purple Gatorade — one of Gaudreau’s favorite snacks.

There were quite a few players on the Panthers who were lucky enough to become close with Gaudreau and learned all of those little things that made him Johnny Hockey.

Matthew Tkachuk, perhaps one of Gaudreau’s closest friends, organized the tribute while away from the team, battling an illness that has kept him out of the lineup for the past three games.

“That was an idea from Chucky,” Sam Bennett said. “Obviously, Johnny loved Skittles and purple Gatorade, so it was a little tribute to him on what’s going to be a very emotional night.”

Tkachuk wanted to find a way to make an impact and honor his dear friend any way he could, even if he couldn’t be there, and he did just that.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be there tonight in Columbus,” Tkachuk said in a statement. “Johnny was a huge part of the hockey community, but to me, he was much more than that. A great friend, teammate and family man. Not a day goes by without me thinking about Johnny and Matthew.

“The biggest thing I’m going to miss about tonight is not being able to see [his wife] Meredith, [his kids] Noa and little Johnny, [and his parents] Guy and Jane. Would love to give them all big hugs! Johnny will be my teammate forever.”

Johnny had a few more close friends on the Panthers who helped carry on the tribute for Tkachuk.

Bennett and Gaudreau played their rookie seasons together with the Calgary and spent the better half of a decade competing alongside each other.

Their friendship was strong and Bennett wanted everyone to know how much he meant to him.

“In the pre-game meal, I was just sitting there thinking about tonight and I thought about Johnny,” Bennett said. “Because every pre-game snack before we got on the bus, we would usually be one of the last two guys on the bus every time and he would always eat Raisin Bran cereal but he would pick out all of the raisins out of his cereal.

“So, I was just sitting there today thinking about him picking out all of the raisins out of his Raisin Bran and it ended up putting a little smile on my face. I have a million stories about Johnny, but that was one that I thought of today.

“I don’t know why he didn’t just get corn flakes,” Bennett added with a laugh. “I guess he just liked the Raisin Bran cereal but didn’t like the raisins.”

Adam Boqvist spent two years with Gaudreau as a young player in Columbus and remembers how great of a teammate he was as he was adjusting to life in the NHL.

“He would always get everyone involved,” Boqvist said. “Have a couple of beers and just have a lot of fun. He was also such a family guy. He would also tell stories after a game and then be like ‘I gotta go home and be dad!’

“All around, he was an amazing human being and he is gonna be missed.”

The Panthers carried those memories into the pre-game tribute.

After wearing No. 13 Gaudreau jerseys during warm-ups and standing alongside Blue Jackets players when they rose a banner in Gaudreau’s honor following an emotional five-minute long tribute video, they made sure to keep Johnny’s memory going when the puck dropped.

The Blue Jackets took the ice with Gaudreau’s usual spot on left wing unoccupied, fittingly, next to his good friend Sean Monahan, who stood alongside the Gaudreau family during the tribute.

Bennett let the puck drop between him and his old Calgary Flames teammate and stood there for a brief 13-second run off, with every player on the ice giving Gaudreau a stick tap and the fans cheering and eventually starting a “Johnny Hockey” chant.

When the clock read 19:47, the puck dropped and the game started, but Gaudreau weighed on everyone’s mind well after those 13 seconds were over.

“I was just looking over at Monahan, [Erik Gudbranson], and Zach [Werenski],” Boqvist said. “It was tough, because you also have to focus on the game, but I think that was second-hand today because there was so much going on.

“It was my second time seeing Meredith since the accident and it brings up everything, but I think they did a great job in Columbus. They were battling and they played good hockey as well, so it’s tough.”