Not long after Tuesday’s morning skate, Guy Gaudreau wandered into the Calgary Flames locker room, his sock feet indicating that he was midway through switching between his blades and his boots.
He stopped at Dan Vladar’s stall, snapping several photos of a specialized goalie mask that pays tribute to his late sons.
“I think he loved it,” Vladar said of Guy, a grieving father who laced them up for Monday’s practice with the Flames and again for Tuesday’s morning skate. “He asked me, ‘If I don’t mind,’ I said, ‘Well, of course I don’t mind. It’s your boys on there.’”
There will be a special tribute to both boys prior to Tuesday’s matchup between the Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets at the Saddledome.
In the home crease, the 28-year-old Vladar will be wearing that meaningful mask.
On the right side, there’s an image of Johnny, the Flaming C logo on his jersey and a wide smile on his face. Johnny’s wife, Meredith, picked that photo.
On the left side, there’s an image of Matthew from his own pro career. Matthew’s wife, Madeline, selected that shot.
Vladar’s tribute lid — painted by Calgary-based Dave Fried — will soon be auctioned off through the Flames Foundation, with all proceeds going to a charity near and dear to the family.
“A huge thanks to Meredith and Madeline for sending us the pictures and giving us the blessing,” said Vladar, one of a handful of roster holdovers from Johnny’s stint with the Flames. “I had an idea, but I also wanted to ask them if they are even comfortable with it. I just asked them if they wanted to put something special and they sent us those two pictures. I think it looks really nice. It’s a huge honour for me, especially that I got the blessing from them.
“It’s something that I think every single guy in the locker-room feels it. Just to take a look at it, it kind of gives you goosebumps. It’s a huge honour for me to wear it.”
Mere hours after the news broke that Johnny and Matthew had been killed Aug. 29 by an alleged drunk driver as they bicycled along a rural road in their home state of New Jersey, the 23-year-old Wolf visited a memorial that had started on the steps outside the Saddledome.
“I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with him, but an American guy, was the face of the franchise for so many years,” Wolf said. “I just thought it was right to show not only my support, but the team’s support and the community’s support. So I asked Meredith and Guy and Jane and just said, ‘Hey, this is what I’d like to do.’ And they were totally on board.”
In fact, when Wolf was generating some Calder Trophy buzz earlier this season, he suggested that Johnny deserved credit for an assist.
“He is certainly looking over us,” Wolf said.
While Wolf will continue to wear his tribute mask, Vladar’s will soon go to the highest bidder.
Would he love to have this keepsake for himself? Sure, but the decision to put it up for auction is easily explained.
It will be just another way the Flames Foundation is helping to keep the Gaudreau brothers’ legacy alive — like they have with a handful of benches, made from sticks left at the summertime memorial, that will be located at minor-hockey rinks throughout the city.
“Basically, because I think that’s what John would have wanted,” Vladar said. “Because that’s the person he was. He was always trying to give back or give something to people. Obviously, I like it a lot, but it’s not a helmet that should belong to me.
“If we can raise some money, even better.”