Welcome back to the NHL Notebook, a recurring segment here at CanucksArmy that looks at the biggest news from around the hockey world.
Today, we only have one topic to discuss, and it’s not a happy one. Early on Friday morning, the NHL confirmed that former Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau died on Thursday evening near his hometown of Salem, New Jersey. He was 31.
Gaudreau died alongside his younger brother Matty, 29, when a vehicle struck the two of them while they were riding their bicycles in the New Jersey suburbs. Matty played with Johnny at Boston College and briefly skated with the Flames’ farm team in the 2019-20 season.
It’s with great sadness, we mourn the tragic deaths of our friend Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau.
Our hearts are broken by this devastating loss. Johnny was and always will be a member of the Flames family and loved by all of Calgary. pic.twitter.com/xFm1md0vwh
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) August 30, 2024
Calgary originally selected Johnny Gaudreau in the fourth round (No. 104 overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. The 5’9″ left wing won the Hobey Baker Award in 2014 as the best player in men’s college hockey and subsequently agreed to terms on an entry-level contract with the Flames.
Gaudreau excelled with the Flames as a rookie in the 2014-15 season, scoring 64 points and forming a strong partnership with Sean Monahan as the team clinched its first playoff berth in six years. The Flames ultimately defeated the Canucks in six games in the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs before falling to the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference semifinals.
After being named a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist as a rookie, Gaudreau continued his rapid ascent over his eight full seasons with the Flames, topping out with 40 goals and 115 points in 82 games while playing on a dominant line with Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm in 2021-22. Gaudreau then scored the series-winning goal in overtime as the Flames defeated the Dallas Stars in seven games in the first round of that year’s playoffs.
Although he seemingly took joy in scoring against the Canucks whenever possible, Gaudreau was a likeable and exciting player who endeared himself to the hockey community on and off the ice — although that didn’t stop fans in Vancouver from breathing a sigh of relief when he left the Flames in 2022 to sign a seven-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Gaudreau played a fearless style on the ice but somehow managed to avoid missing much time to injury over his 10 full seasons with Calgary and Columbus, a testament to his skill and durability. In 763 games during his tragically shortened NHL career, Gaudreau collected 243 goals and 743 points; he added 11 goals and 33 points in 42 career playoff contests.
We here at CanucksArmy join the hockey world in mourning the passing of Johnny Hockey and his brother.
