Johnny Gaudreau’s grieving wife, Meredith, is feeling the love from Calgary.
On Sunday night, she shared an image on Instagram of the memorial on the staircase outside the Saddledome, where Johnny had filled the seats — and filled the stat-sheet — during his nine-season stint with the Calgary Flames. The star hockey player was killed Thursday, alongside his younger brother Matthew, when both were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in Salem County, N.J.
“Thank you Calgary,” Meredith wrote, adding a heart emoji before continuing, “this is amazing. But I’m not surprised. The best people ever.”
Ever since news of the tragedy, fans have flocked to the Saddledome to pay their respects to Johnny — at 31, he was still in the prime of his NHL career with the Columbus Blue Jackets and he leaves behind two young children — and to Matthew, who was 29.
The mourners have dropped off flowers and hockey sticks and bags of Skittles, the sweet treat that Guy Gaudreau famously used to teach his oldest son to skate.
The memorial also features jerseys, hats, framed photos and countless bottles of purple Gatorade, the preferred drink of a fun-to-watch forward trio that featured Johnny and his close pals Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm. That was, for a stretch, the Flames’ top line.
There are also dozens and dozens of message scrawled in sidewalk chalk.
“I know there are no words that I can provide that will alleviate the suffering of losing both Johnny and Matthew,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy wrote in a heartfelt letter that was released by the team on Saturday afternoon. “There isn’t a magic spell that will make us all feel better. But there is love that we can continue to share with the Gaudreaus that will play a part in helping them heal.
“The outpouring of social affection over the past 24 hours, helps. The organic vigil on the steps of the Saddledome, helps. And just as the Gaudreaus have shown us, being kind to one another, helps.
“To Johnny’s wife Meredith and children Noa and Lil’ Johnny, Jane and Guy, sisters Katie and Kristen, and Matthew’s wife Madeline, Calgary will continue to be here for you and will always welcome you with open arms and hearts.”
There’s no doubt the Flames will eventually announce a formal honour to Johnny Gaudreau, who racked up 210 goals and 609 points in 602 regular-season outings in Calgary’s colours and also scored a series-winning overtime goal in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Team staff will want to wait until an appropriate time to discuss potential tributes with his family.
A popular possibility is to raise his No. 13 jersey to the rafters, while one fan suggested on social media that when Scotia Place is completed, a portion of 13th Ave. SW near the new arena could become ‘Gaudreau Way.’
Whatever sort of gesture might be in the works, many have been circling back to a thank-you letter that Johnny published via The Players Tribune after choosing to sign with the Blue Jackets as a free agent in the summer of 2022. He stressed that he “cherished” his time in the Stampede City, describing it as “a special place with great people.”
“I hope the people of Calgary can remember me not only as a hockey player, but also as a good person with good values,” he wrote. “Thank you for supporting me over these years, and for making my family a part of yours. I feel so grateful to have been brought up in the Calgary Flames Organization.”