During a sombre moment at the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Toronto on Monday night, the legendary Lanny McDonald offered a heartfelt tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
The Gaudreau brothers were killed this summer when struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles along a road in their home state of New Jersey.
At 31, Johnny was still in the prime of his NHL career with the Columbus Blue Jackets. As McDonald pointed out, he was trending toward eventually becoming a Hall-of-Famer.
Matthew also played in the pro ranks and was more recently coaching minor hockey. He was 29.
“The news on Sept. 1 devastated the hockey world and everyone who’d had the pleasure of meeting or knowing Johnny or Matthew,” said McDonald, both the chairman and an honoured member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and a longtime resident of Calgary, where he starred at the Saddledome and then watched Johnny do the same many years later.
“I got to know Johnny and his family quite well during his eight seasons with the Flames, and I can tell you that nobody loved the game or played over his weight class like Johnny Gaudreau did. He was a joy to be around and everyone in the hockey world will miss him and his brother Matthew.
“Anyone who knows the game knows Johnny would have been here someday. Tonight, he and Matthew are in our thoughts and prayers of everyone in the hockey community and at the Hall of Fame.”
Johnny’s wife, Meredith, shared the video clip of McDonald’s tribute on social media, saying of her husband: “He made it into the HOF of life in my eyes.”