Confirmed with Link: Johnny Gaudreau has died at the age of 31

[CBJx614]

I could just imagine them going back and forth

" You really gonna eat that plain ass pasta? What are you, 12"

Reminds me of this

'Johnny Hockey' or ... 'Johnny Ham-And-Cheese'?

Before he was Johnny Hockey, he was ‘Johnny Ham-And-Cheese.’

calgarysun.com

the Flames winger explained the nickname’s origins which started, likely, how one would expect.

“When I was in college I’d just get ham and cheese on, like, wheat bread,” Gaudreau admitted sheepishly with a chuckle. “I’d take it to the locker room and eat it. I’d eat it seven days a week, every day. Before practice, I’d come in with my ham-and-cheese sandwich.

“I guess that’s one that is going to stick with me.”

“We were going for sushi,” explained Gaudreau, with a grin. “And I went across the street because I didn’t like sushi at the time and brought over a ham-and-cheese sandwich to the sushi place. Guys gave me a hard time about it.

 

[Monstershockey]

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

It'll take forever to get used to this. Somehow Johnny's calmness, positivity, and even his playstyle, made him seem immortal

 

[Crede777]

Something that I feel worth bringing up is how impressed I was by the mods on here who were able to keep tabs on things here during the late hours of last night. I, like many others, couldn't sleep and monitered this unspeakable tragedy closely.

This sub-forum was kept free of speculation in a very respectful way. Yes there was the thread on the main boards but even that was kept civil and had occasional updates/reminders.

Thank you guys for the work you do.

 

[MK78]

Heard about this in the morning on the local sports radio show...

Absolutely horrific tragedy, two young brothers just erased by a piece of shit drunk driver.

Riding their bikes too, hit from behind they had no chance.

My condolences to the families, friends and current and former teammates.

RIP Johnny & Matthew.

 

[Monstershockey]

Something that I feel worth bringing up is how impressed I was by the mods on here who were able to keep tabs on things here during the late hours of last night. I, like many others, couldn't sleep and monitered this unspeakable tragedy closely.

This sub-forum was kept free of speculation in a very respectful way. Yes there was the thread on the main boards but even that was kept civil and had occasional updates/reminders.

Thank you guys for the work you do.

I agree. Woke up this morning and came on here and @CBJWerenski8 was saying he deleted everything and wasn't going to allow speculation until confirmation. Had no idea what was going on and had to google to find out what was happening. Good call and well done.

 

[FlyerFire]

Prayers from a Flyers fan. He was kinda one of our own, so we feel your pain in more ways than you know. Condolences on your (our) losses.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829565016850256005

 

[NotWendell]

You are my people, and it's harder for me talk about this with you than on the mains.

 

[yianik]

I am so sorry to hear of this horrible trajedy. So senseless. RIP Johnny Hockey. Prayers to your family. and those 2 little children especially.

 

[crowfish]

Your wife is pregnant with your 3rd child. You're in the prime of your life, riding a bike in your hometown the night before your sister's wedding. It's crazy how quickly things can go from heaven to hell. RIP Johnny Hockey.

 

[Youngguns1380]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829674828292637170

 

[KCbus]

We finally got the outdoor game we've been craving for years, and it seems meaningless now.

I downgraded my streaming package in the spring, because I need every dime I can get my hand on. I didn't realize because it was after the season already, but I cut out Bally's. I've been debating whether or not I'm going to bother to get it back when the season starts back up, because I don't know if I need the aggravation.

I felt more connected to the CBJ fanbase today than I have in months, if not more. But the way today has made me feel, I don't know if I want to come back MORE so I can keep that connection, or LESS so I don't have to deal with more of this feeling.

This club has had more tragedies than playoff wins. I don't mean to sound snarky with that; I'm just trying to make the point that it's been tough to follow this team. Brittanie Cecil. Matiss Kivlenieks. Now Johnny Hockey? The point of following a team over the years isn't to celebrate championships, because they're exceedingly rare, other current residents of Nationwide Boulevard excluded. It's to enjoy a common experience, and to enjoy those moments that bring you out of your seat to yell and scream like a lunatic. We've had few enough of those to begin with, and we keep getting kicked in the balls with tragedy.

Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it.

 

[NotWendell]

This team is cursed.

 

[Viqsi]

We finally got the outdoor game we've been craving for years, and it seems meaningless now.

I downgraded my streaming package in the spring, because I need every dime I can get my hand on. I didn't realize because it was after the season already, but I cut out Bally's. I've been debating whether or not I'm going to bother to get it back when the season starts back up, because I don't know if I need the aggravation.

I felt more connected to the CBJ fanbase today than I have in months, if not more. But the way today has made me feel, I don't know if I want to come back MORE so I can keep that connection, or LESS so I don't have to deal with more of this feeling.

This club has had more tragedies than playoff wins. I don't mean to sound snarky with that; I'm just trying to make the point that it's been tough to follow this team. Brittanie Cecil. Matiss Kivlenieks. Now Johnny Hockey? The point of following a team over the years isn't to celebrate championships, because they're exceedingly rare, other current residents of Nationwide Boulevard excluded. It's to enjoy a common experience, and to enjoy those moments that bring you out of your seat to yell and scream like a lunatic. We've had few enough of those to begin with, and we keep getting kicked in the balls with tragedy.

Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it.

I wish I could disagree with this or find it less relatable.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Sincere condolences from Western New York.

 

[Mapleafan]

This team is cursed.

Of all players to die …

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

I just want to say that I love all of you. You may not know me because I mostly just lurk here and hang out more on the Sharks board. But I love you guys, especially DSL and @blahblah

 

[Lunatik]

CBJ Bros, threw this together if anyone wants a Johnny avatar

 

[SteelCityCannon]

We finally got the outdoor game we've been craving for years, and it seems meaningless now.

Hang on. This is unimaginable, but the rest of the boys dont deserve this type of talk. They're gonna play their asses off for Johnny this year. No question.

 

[majormajor]

Now I'm back to being angry again. How many stages of grief are there?

All of these press stories have the headline about Gaudreau dying "in a bike accident". Like if you were plowed down while walking down the sidewalk, would that be a "walking accident"? No! He was killed by a person!

Then you have statements from teams and the NHL about Gaudreau passing, it almost feels like he had some random cancer. But this was completely avoidable. That driver made choices and we make choices to allow people to take their ever-growing behemoths to the bar, get plastered, get back in the behemoth, and then race down the road.

Pedestrian and bike deaths are up by 80-90% since ~2009. It's SUVs/trucks, it's drunk driving, it's phones, it's the design of our roads, it's the social permissiveness we have for reckless driving.

Earlier this summer I was biking back from lunch with a friend, down a leafy boulevard in the residential neighborhood near my house. Two lanes each way, almost no cars on the road. I'm in the right lane, and this suv comes by me an inch away from my arm, despite a completely open lane on the left. I'm shaking on the bike, and I look over last second and it is a woman with her phone in her hand looking down. She didn't know I was there. She probably never knew it happened. Be honest, do you ever pick your phone up while driving? I think people tell themselves that they don't look at it too long so it's okay.

 

[tunnelvision]

I felt more connected to the CBJ fanbase today than I have in months, if not more. But the way today has made me feel, I don't know if I want to come back MORE so I can keep that connection, or LESS so I don't have to deal with more of this feeling.

This team is cursed.

I wish I could disagree with this or find it less relatable.

I've also had these thoughts going through my mind, among many other things. Despite that, I hope we can somehow find strength in ourselves to pay tribute to Johnny and Matthew that they deserve, and to keep supporting the Gaudreau family, the team and everybody affected by the tragedy. Support in this context can mean whatever way that feels appropriate to you, whether it's as simple and "meaningless" as posting here, wearing a jersey in public or just keeping them in our thoughts.

For me this is not the time to give up on the team or hockey in general. That may happen later but not today. That being said, I won't judge you if you really feel this is it.

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

I walked through yesterday as through a haze and today it really hit me that he's gone. In my short time as a Blue Jackets fan, Johnny Gaudreau has been the definitive Blue Jacket. It's a crushing realisation that his time has passed.

It's difficult not to think of their families and how so many years of love and care can be crushed in an instant. Creation is difficult, destruction is easy. Something created can – and in this case, will – live beyond itself through memories, but that's no comfort to their families now.

I hear the talks about retiring #13, officially or otherwise. I understand the sentiment. Me personally, though, I don't support retiring numbers. I much prefer other tributes: a banner, a permanent sticker on the jerseys or something. Hell, change the logo to the cannon and have Johnny be the cannoneer, as long as it's something lasting and visible. Although I don't think that's going to happen, I would like to see Kent Johnson wear #13 in the future. He wore it before Gaudreau came in and already then as a tribute to him. Gaudreau even said he felt that Johnson didn't have to give it up for him in the first place. Now it can be a tribute to him once again. I'd like that, but I appreciate that others wouldn't.

All I can really say is thank you, Johnny, for sharing your brilliance with us. You and Matthew rest now. I wish all the best to your families.

 

[nhlfan9191]

I walked through yesterday as through a haze and today it really hit me that he's gone. In my short time as a Blue Jackets fan, Johnny Gaudreau has been the definitive Blue Jacket. It's a crushing realisation that his time has passed.

It's difficult not to think of their families and how so many years of love and care can be crushed in an instant. Creation is difficult, destruction is easy. Something created can – and in this case, will – live beyond itself through memories, but that's no comfort to their families now.

I hear the talks about retiring #13, officially or otherwise. I understand the sentiment. Me personally, though, I don't support retiring numbers. I much prefer other tributes: a banner, a permanent sticker on the jerseys or something. Hell, change the logo to the cannon and have Johnny be the cannoneer, as long as it's something lasting and visible. Although I don't think that's going to happen, I would like to see Kent Johnson wear #13 in the future. He wore it before Gaudreau came in and already then as a tribute to him. Gaudreau even said he felt that Johnson didn't have to give it up for him in the first place. Now it can be a tribute to him once again. I'd like that, but I appreciate that others wouldn't.

All I can really say is thank you, Johnny, for sharing your brilliance with us. You and Matthew rest now. I wish all the best to your families.

I doubt Kent Johnson would want to wear it given the circumstances.

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

I doubt Kent Johnson would want to wear it given the circumstances.

No arguments there.