Johnny Hockey 

By Mike Rifkin 

The hockey world was crushed on Friday morning to learn that Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau, along with his brother Matthew, tragically passed away. Johnny played his college hockey at Boston College where, in three seasons, he scored 78 goals and 176 points in 119 games. Gaudreau twice was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker award, winning it in 2014. Gaudreau also helped B.C. win the National Championship in 2012. 

Gaudreau was selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. He scored a goal in his only game during the 2013-14 season.

During the 2014-15 campaign, Gaudreau scored 24 goals and 64 points, and finished third in Calder Trophy voting. In 2018-19, he put up 36 goals and 99 points, and finished fourth in the Hart Trophy voting. Gaudreau posted his only 40 goal and 100 point season during the 2021-22 season. As a result, he once again finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting. In 42 career playoff games, Gaudreau had 11 goals and 33 points. One of his biggest goals came in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. In game seven against the Dallas Stars, he was able to snipe one past goalie Jake Oettinger to win the series for the Flames. Gaudreau shocked the hockey world in July of 2022, when he signed a seven-year, $69 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. In his two seasons in Columbus, he scored 33 goals and 134 points. 

Johnny wasn’t the biggest guy on the ice, but he had the heart and played the game with joy. As I continued to watch Johnny’s career, there was one name that I could compare him to. That is Hockey Hall of Fame forward Marty St. Louis. Neither Gaudreau nor St. Louis were the biggest guys, but they had a lot of fun playing the game, and they had the skill to match it. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Gaudreau family, friends, the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, and the rest of the hockey community.