Johnny Hockey
By 
Paul has already mentioned this horrible example of the American way of automobile death, but it’s obviously personal for me. A fan of professional sports literally since I have living memory, I’ve only owned a few jerseys customized with player numbers: Montreal Expos #33 and #45, Montreal Royals #42, Seattle Mariners #11, Seattle Seahawks #16, Calgary Flames #2, #11, #39…
And #13:
NHL Network mourns the passing of Johnny Gaudreau. pic.twitter.com/LmsEgeiS2n— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 30, 2024
The star player on a USHL champion who would go on to be one of the best players in the NCAA at Boston College, John Gaudreau (he became “Johnny” after a certain NCAA QB and famous NFL bust became popular, but remained “John” to friends and family) slid to the 104th pick in the 2011 NHL draft for a simple reason: he was (generously) 5’9 and 165 pounds, a size at which there are very few accomplished NHL players. Joining the Flames at the beginning of a depressing rebuild, he was a source of excitement from day one, and would become one of the best players in the league:
Wasn't really sure whether or not to post this but with so many stories about how hard Gaudreau worked to beat the odds and make it, I just wanted to emphasize just how incredible his career was. You're just not supposed to be able to dominate like this at his size. pic.twitter.com/ob74wzCnKL— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 30, 2024
He was a 7-time All-Star who won the 2016-7 Lady Byng award for the “player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” a description that could have been written for him personally. His last season in Calgary was his best — he was second in the league in points on what was the most effective line in the league, leading the franchise to its second best regular season ever. We shall not discuss how it ended. But it had a signature moment. As it happened, Loomis (rarely an NHL viewer) was watching Game 7 of the opening round against Dallas at an airport bar and messaging me questions like “is it common for a game to be tied when one team is outshooting the other 62-25?” (It is not.) And yet as a fan the longer a game goes that you’re dominating but can’t win, you fully expect that the last break isn’t going to go your way. But in this case justice prevailed, because Gaudreau scored from an impossible angle:
In a last-minute decision, after the season Gaudreau decided to sign with Columbus. As much as a gut punch as that was if you cheer for the Flames, you can’t seriously begrudge someone willing to leave tens of millions of dollars on the table to be closer to his extended family as he started to have kids of his own. His immediate family were frequent visitors to Calgary when he was still with the team, and were genuinely beloved in the community.
It will be a while before I can fully process this — it’s too much fucking perspective. R.I.P.
Rest in Peace, Johnny Hockey pic.twitter.com/BFPdShMnZm— Brian Burke (@Burkie2020) August 30, 2024
You can hear a pin drop outside the Saddledome right now. Hundreds of Calgarians gather in silence.
I wanted to share this photo. No matter what team you cheer for, this is a tragic day. pic.twitter.com/j9BuiWXNGL— James (@JamesJohnsonYYC) August 30, 2024
In loving memory of Johnny Gaudreau ❤️ pic.twitter.com/79T6Nkac5a— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) August 30, 2024