The night was about hockey in Columbus, but it was also about so much more.
The Blue Jackets and their fans, still reeling from Johnny Gaudreau's death in August, honored their fallen star forward in Tuesday's home opener, a night filled with jumpy memories and emotional tributes. It was night.
Fans entering Nationwide Arena were greeted by a large exhibit featuring a replica of Gaudreau's locker and game-worn equipment jerseys from his time with Columbus and Boston College.
The team announced it would continue throughout the season.
Windows were lined with sticks and papered-up signs and items commemorating fans of the franchise. Days after his 31-year-old brother Matthew was killed while riding his bike at Old Man's, the area outside the venue was filled with memorials to him. TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY.
Their deaths shocked the entire NHL and hockey community, as evidenced by the league-wide tributes and moments of silence held in their honor in the weeks that followed and throughout the preseason.
It's only fitting that the Blue Jackets, a team just three years removed from the death of goaltender Matthijs Kibreniecs at age 24, would play the Panthers in their first game in front of their home fans this season. Ta.
Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, who are on the current Stanley Cup champions' roster, began their careers alongside Gaudreau in Calgary.
Tkachuk, who missed the game due to illness, made sure to pay tribute to his friend.
“Johnny was a huge part of the hockey community, but he was so much more to me than that,” he said. said in a statement posted on social media.. “Great friends, teammates and family. Not a day goes by that I don't think about Johnny and Matthew.
“The biggest thing I will miss tonight is not seeing Meredith, Noah, little Johnny, Guy, and Jane. I want to give them all a big hug! Johnny will be my teammate forever.”
According to ESPN, the players arrived at the arena with Skittles, Johnny's favorite, and purple Gatorade.
Both teams took to the ice to warm up wearing Johnny's No. 13 jersey. The Blue Jackets played a slideshow of Gaudreau and his family on the ice when it resurfaced.
A moving five-and-a-half minute video narrated by the late player and featuring videos and photos from his career and life was shown in the arena.
The team hung a banner with Gaudreau's name and jersey number in the rafters while his family was on the ice. Next to him was former Flames running mate Sean Monahan. Sean Monahan signed with the Blue Jackets this offseason for a chance to skate with Gaudreau again.
Regarding the puck drop, Columbus coach Dean Evason sent out four players, leaving Gaudreau's left wing spot vacant.
After an emotional summer that left him bleeding into the fall, the Blue Jackets gave Gaudreau a fitting sendoff.
The next difficult thing is to follow suit with hockey.
The Blue Jackets started the game without their left winger on the ice, and both teams allowed a 13-second timeout to show further respect to Gaudreau.
“We want them to tap into that emotion and embrace that emotion. If it's an emotion like sad, tap into that and turn it into a positive emotion,” Evason said. spoke to reporters before the game.
“From day one, we've talked about what Johnny wants to do, how he's going to act, and what he's going to say and keep doing it. That's what we're doing, and that feeling… Use it 100 percent, but don't be afraid of it.”
