Tuesday night at the Saddledome will be about the Gaudreaus.
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It will be about honouring Johnny and Matthew and it will be about showing their family how much Calgary loves and supports them.
That will come from the Calgary Flames organization, from top to bottom — from the players to the coaches to management and staff.
It will come from the Flames fans in the Dome itself and it will come from hockey fans across the city, in their own way.
With Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jane, his sisters Kristen and Katie, and Johnny’s wife Meredith and young children in the rink for the first time since the brothers were tragically killed by a suspected drunk driver in August, it is going to be an opportunity for Calgary to show its love.
It will be a difficult night, but one that the Flames are hoping can provide some comfort to the family as they continue to grieve.
“I think it’s the right thing to do and I was really excited when I heard we were going to do it,” said Flames captain Mikael Backlund. “I can’t even imagine what they’ve been through and it’s the right thing to do to bring them here and we’re so proud they were part of Calgary for so long and the whole family, they brought so much to the city.
“Johnny, especially, brought so much excitement and energy to the whole city and to the Saddledome … His parents, like someone said, were like rock stars, as well. It’s great that we’ll have them here and to see them again and yeah, it’s going to be a tough night tomorrow, for sure, but a very special night that we’ll always remember and it will be a night to show our appreciation to the Gaudreau family.”
That is the focus of Tuesday night. It’s the family.
Proceeds from the 50-50 will go to MADD Canada and KidSport Calgary, a charity Johnny vigorously supported. There will be a tribute video to Gaudreau’s time with the Flames and a ceremonial face-off that will include Columbus Blue Jackets centre Sean Monahan, who was Johnny’s best friend and running mate while they were both with the Flames.
Monahan was on the ice for the Blue Jackets when the two teams faced off for the first time this season in Columbus — where Gaudreau signed in 2022 — on Friday, and his presence will only add to the emotion of Tuesday evening’s proceedings.
“It was tough in Columbus and there was no ceremony there,” said Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson. “They’ve done their job there on that part and they’ve done a really good job of it. All credit to that organization, they’ve done it beautiful.
“I know for me, Backs, (Blake Coleman) … seeing Monny there was tough. Seeing the banner was tough. Seeing the 13 on their jersey, every time you looked up the ice you saw 13 on their jerseys. It was the toughest game emotionally I’ve played. I hope tomorrow everyone could just appreciate, first of all, what a great person he was and a great hockey player, but even a better person. It’ll be difficult for many of us.”
Difficult, but maybe comforting, too.
While Gaudreau may have signed with the Blue Jackets in free agency in the summer of 2022, the outpouring of grief and the fan-made memorial on the steps of the Saddledome after his death showed what an impact he’d made on the city.
That was felt by the Gaudreau family from many thousands of miles away, and on Tuesday, the hockey community — from the Flames themselves to the city’s fans — have the chance to show them that they’ll always have a place in Calgary.
“You want Johnny’s legacy to continue to carry on,” Coleman said. “It’s that expression of gone but not forgotten. Any way we can continue to honour him and share in his memory, I think it’s important to continue to do so. Hopefully his family enjoys the reunion of coming back to Calgary. Because I know the people here, they really care about him and want to show their love and appreciation. I think it’s going to be a special night.”