In the world of professional wrestling, there are good guys and bad guys.
Sami Zayn most certainly is one of the best guys.
During WWE’s Monday Night Raw, which took place at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Zayn came out wearing a Johnny Gaudreau Calgary Flames jersey to pay tribute to the NHL star, who was killed along with his brother, Matthew, last month by an alleged drunk driver on the eve of their sister’s wedding.
An emotional Zayn, who is from Montreal, acknowledged the crowd’s cheers as he slowly walked to the ring to join Calgary wrestling legend Bret Hart for a segment with WWE world heavyweight champion Gunther.
WWE’s Joe Tessitore and Jackie Redmond – a former Sportsnet broadcaster who now works for the NHL Network — also paid tribute to Gaudreau.
During the show, Tessitore threw to Redmond, who was outside the arena near the massive makeshift memorial that has been building since the tragic deaths of the Gaudreau brothers.
“He was a special type of player. The type of player who got people out of their seats and onto their feet the second the puck was on his stick,” she said. “He was magical to watch.”
Zayn also spoke to Redmond about the emotional night on a post-show which was shared on social media.
“It makes you think about the time you have here and what you do with it,” Zayn said of his tribute to Gaudreau.
The timing of the tribute couldn’t have been more emotional: The brothers were laid to rest in a funeral service in Media, Pa., earlier on Monday.
Johnny and Matthew were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding their bikes last month.
Police said that Sean Higgins, a financial officer at a rehab company and married father of two daughters, slammed his Jeep Grand Cherokee into the Gaudreau brothers as they were cycling in their native Salem County, N.J., on Aug. 29.
Higgins was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and has been charged with two counts of death by auto.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press, Higgins allegedly told authorities he drank “five to six beers” before the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving.
During Monday’s funeral, Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of Johnny, revealed that she is nine weeks pregnant.
Meredith and Johnny have two children — Noa, who turns two later this month, and Johnny Jr., who was born in February.
Matthew’s widow, Madeline, also is expecting the couple’s first child.
Higgins will be in court on Friday after a judge pushed back his detention hearing from last Thursday.