COLUMBUS, Ohio — Known for his compassionate heart as well as his talents on the ice, Columbus Blue Jackets fans are honoring the team’s forward Johnny Gaudreau.
Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed Thursday when a drunken driver ran into them from behind, according to New Jersey State Police. The brothers were on a bicycle ride while visiting family and preparing to serve as groomsmen in their sister’s wedding, which was scheduled for Friday.
Upon hearing the news, fans started making their way to Nationwide Arena.
“Everybody sees them as these superhero, superhuman people,” Dave Fetzer said, while wearing a Gaudreau jersey with the player’s autograph signed on the back. “But you know, this just reminds you that they're people.“
Fetzer said he bought season tickets for the Blue Jackets when Gaudreau joined the team in 2022, after playing nine seasons with the Calgary Flames.
“He wasn’t traded here,” Fetzer said. “He wasn’t, you know, he reached out to Columbus to come here. So that was, like, huge.”
The upcoming season would have been Gaudreau’s third with the Blue Jackets.
“A good player, well-rounded person,” said Lucy Weeks, a hockey fan. “He did so much for the community and family and friends and everything.”
Fans are now showing their appreciation in return, by buying his gear at the team store and creating the tribute outside the team’s home venue.
“When I heard it this morning I just broke down and just felt like I needed to come to say goodbye,” said Faith Smith, who went to the arena with her siblings and mom, Shelley.
“As a mother of four, it’s the most heartbreaking,” Shelley said. “And another thing is it’s Labor Day Weekend. I just hope everybody, if you're drinking, get a designated driver.”
With all thoughts on the Gaudreau family during the difficult time.
“We send this love and prayers to the family, so that they can get through this,“ said Mary Ellen Price, who added some mementos from her sons’ youth hockey days to thank Gaudreau for being an inspiration.
Fetzer said the best way to honor Gaudreau is by being kind.
“Being a good person, being there for everybody else,” he said.