Hockey fans, stop and think about this for a moment.
Even if you consider yourself an expert, even if you feel like you could dominate a trivia contest about your favourite team, how many parents of NHLers could you name?
It’s not many, is it?
Perhaps that helps to explain the special bond that Calgarians share with the Gaudreaus.
They didn’t just get to know Johnny. As the puck-whiz left-winger was stuffing the net for the Flames, his proud parents also enjoyed rock-star status in this city, arguably easier to pick out of a crowd than some of the third- or fourth-liners or depth defencemen.
Guy may have shown up at your rec-league game and asked if he could join. He’d sometimes bring his own gear when he visited.
If you said something nice about her son, maybe marvelled at one of his highlight-reel goals or gorgeous passes, Jane has probably liked one of your posts on social media.
They felt like neighbours you might bump into at the grocery store or in the Plus-15s or in the milkshake lineup at Peters’ Drive-In during a summer heat wave.
So when Johnny and his younger brother Matthew were killed in late August in an unimaginable tragedy, struck by an alleged drunk driver as they rode bicycles along a rural road in their home state of New Jersey, Calgarians reacted like they knew the whole darn family.
Because they do.
Johnny, during his nine seasons in Calgary, seemed to want it that way.
He loved talking about his parents and siblings and the rest of his home team.
They loved cheering him on.
The C of Red, undoubtedly, will show its love Tuesday as the Gaudreaus — including Guy and Jane, sisters Kristen and Katie and Johnny’s wife Meredith and the kids — return to the Saddledome. Prior to a matchup between the Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets, they will stand at centre ice for a ceremonial faceoff.
It’s a meeting of Johnny’s two former teams, but it will be more of a show of support for a heartbroken hockey family.
It is, fittingly, Game 13 on the Flames’ home schedule.
“I know there are a lot of people who got to know Johnny’s father in Calgary, and he’s a legitimate character, a legitimate lover of hockey,” said Blue Jackets executive John Davidson, who grew up in the southwest quadrant of this city and still spends a big chunk of summer just across the mountains in Invermere, B.C.
“They have, as a family, just a real bond and a love for hockey. It reminds me of how we grew up in Calgary. I mean, my mother knew as much about the NHL as I did. It was just a way of life. And that family reminds me of the same type of thing.”
I remember hearing a secondhand story several years ago about two Flames fathers sitting together in the stands during a game at the Saddledome. The one, whose boy happened to be a fan favourite, was mortified because some of the other spectators were bad-mouthing the son of the gentleman that he was watching with. They had no idea.
That never would have happened with Mr. and Mrs. Gaudreau. They were not just faces in the crowd. If they were seated in your section, they were probably posing for selfies. Guy may have obliged your request to, for the umpteenth time, repeat the stories about how he would scatter Skittles across the ice, risking cavities as he tried to motivate his son to learn to skate.
Now in my 13th year on the Flames’ beat for Postmedia, I try to attend one game each season without my laptop or notebook. (Hey, it’s a fun job, but they don’t serve nachos and beer in the press box.)
Back in 2021-22, I happened to pick an April 12 clash against the Seattle Kraken. From my seat in the lower bowl, I glanced to my right and spotted Guy and Jane.
That night, as you might recall, Johnny picked up a pair of assists to notch a 100-point campaign. It had been nearly three decades since any Flames player had hit triple digits.
There was a memorable celebration on the ice, I’m sure. But I was too busy watching fans exchange high-fives and hugs with Guy and Jane.
Like they were rock stars.
But also, like they were neighbours.
Calgarians will certainly ensure they receive a warm welcome Tuesday. Because it wasn’t just Johnny who had a special bond with the Saddledome faithful.
“The Flames organization and the Calgary fans have been a special part of our lives for over 13 incredible years,” said Jane, whose son was selected by the Flames as a fourth-round long-shot in the 2011 NHL Draft, via text message to Postmedia. “Some of the friendships we’ve made here have become like family to us, and we will always cherish the memories we’ve created together. Calgary holds a special place in our hearts. It’s where we watched John grow from a college student into a remarkable young man, and as parents, we are incredibly proud. Returning to the city John called his second home for the majority of his adult life feels both therapeutic and healing.
“We are so thankful for the time we’ve spent in this wonderful city and the relationships we’ve built here. We look forward to seeing everyone again and reconnecting with the city that has meant so much to our family.”