In Memoriam Johnny Gaudreau & Matthew Gaudreau killed by drunk driver while cycling (MOD WARNING. No Flaming, Trolling, or Politics.)

[Xelebes]

If there's anything to memorialise him, it will probably be in the public sphere, not confined to the NHL. There is rabble-rousing, especially in Philadelphia, for improved bicycle infrastructure in North American cities. Maybe the memorialisation goes there.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

They are honoring Bill Masterton - with a trophy. And it should stay that way. Bill's impact to the league isn't because of some trophy, but because of his death, more players started wearing helmets and the stigma of wearing one was going away. His death paved the way.

I love Johnny but his death hasn't transformed the league on that level. It has, however, transformed how some of us look at life and death, I know I'm one of them.

Take a moment and tell someone how much they mean to you or how much you appreciate them because you never know when they might go. Bill, Johnny, his brother Matthew and countless others had that chance stolen from them, you and I have that. Use it wisely

Like I stated before about the Lester B Pearson being retired and then renamed to Ted Lindsay, renaming a trophy after Gaudreau doesn't diminish the names that the trophy were named after, it instead honours someone else that also means a lot. In Johnny's entire career he was active in the community, touched many lives along his path from College hockey to his unfortunate death. Naming an award after him isn't wrong and like I stated in that post as well - If there was a vote held to rename one of the awards that he would embody the best, the vast majority of the NHL would vote for it.

Perseverance and dedication to hockey - I would say that Johnny Hockey embodies that to a T. Whether it's the Lady Byng or the Masterton being renamed, I have zero issues with it given the good Johnny did for the game with his work in the community and being a small player that made it against all odds and became a star. The whole Masterton situation is pretty awful to begin with if you ever research the whole thing, his head was basically a ticking time bomb considering most thought he had a brain hemorrhage before the hit and even as far back as training camp, that trophy being named after him feels more like guilt than anything imo and that's not to say his death wasn't tragic, because it most definitely was, but I think if most actually researched who these trophies are named after, an update like Ted Linday's isn't a bad thing and isn't disrespectful to the player at all.

Masterton's death didn't immediately change the game with helmets, sadly. It took a few years for players to slowly adopt helmets and then a full 11yrs (1980) before the league pushed for it to be mandatory and then named a trophy after him (after his incident in 1968).

Like I said - Do you think the Lester B Pearson award being renamed to Ted Lindsay bothered anyone in the NHL? In any case my vote is for the change to Lady Byng.

If changing the Lester B is fine, because of someone that was more a politician than an NHL anything, then a woman that adored the gentleman aspect of the game having the trophy named to someone that personified it, is fine and it shouldn't be an issue with the rest of the players I would wager.

 

[Soundwave]

The NBA changed the name of the All-Star game MVP to the Kobe Bryant award after he passed away, the NHL could probably do something similar to that.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I think you can have both, you can feel the Gaudreau incident is a horrible tragedy and also still think Masterton deserves to have the trophy still named after him. If you want to find a for sure way for kids to never know who Masterton was, then you can take the name of the trophy away from him. That is a sure way to start erasing hockey history.

Look, the Conn Smythe, Norris, Adams, Hart, Byng, Art Ross, Vezina, Calder, Selke and even the Stanley Cup are rooted in very important and pivotal names in hockey history. Not to mention the Richard trophy. We can talk about owners being cheapskates back in the original 6 days, and they were, but it is also true they helped build the game. How can you talk about Maple Leafs history without Conn Smythe? Or Habs history without Frank Selke or Rocket Richard? It is important to preserve this sort of thing. Or else you are sure to lose it.

Was anything lost when the Lester B Pearson was renamed to Ted Lindsay? Just out of curiosity. A lot of these trophies were also named after politicians and just honouring legends that they felt they wanted to honour and now seems outdated.

Btw a gripe about The Masterton trophy (btw, I don't think renaming that one is the move, Byng - yes) is that it has become a joke for what it gets awarded for nowadays. If you're a player that toiled around the league and has a great run, cool you just won the award. You were old and a HHOF'er that put up 60pts at 44? Cool, you won the award. It became less about going through something and just random bs.

 

[Zaddy91]

The NHL has evolved into a 32 team league from a 6 or 15 team league from when most of the trophies have been established/players they've been named after. It's a totally different animal now.
Don't think there's anything wrong with the Trophy names evolving with the sport. Maybe 'retire' certain names and keep that record and rename every trophy 50 years or so. Otherwise there's a limited way of honoring any 'newer' players that have had greater impacts on the sport than many of the names they are using

You realize the entire point of a trophy is eternalizing a person associated with the sport.

Let it go.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

The NBA changed the name of the All-Star game MVP to the Kobe Bryant award after he passed away, the NHL could probably do something similar to that.

They'll whine about it anyway.

 

[Soundwave]

You could do the plus/minus award in his name too since +64 of a couple of years ago is the modern era (well like post 1987) high.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

You realize the entire point of a trophy is eternalizing a person associated with the sport.

Let it go.

It's comical how owners and GM's can have awards named after them for things they didn't do because they didn't play, but a player that embodied something that a trophy being named after him would make sense, is an issue. I'm betting these are the same wankers that whine about "back in my day, we were allowed to say..."

 

[BlueSeal]

Like I stated before about the Lester B Pearson being retired and then renamed to Ted Lindsay, renaming a trophy after Gaudreau doesn't diminish the names that the trophy were named after, it instead honours someone else that also means a lot. In Johnny's entire career he was active in the community, touched many lives along his path from College hockey to his unfortunate death. Naming an award after him isn't wrong and like I stated in that post as well - If there was a vote held to rename one of the awards that he would embody the best, the vast majority of the NHL would vote for it.

Perseverance and dedication to hockey - I would say that Johnny Hockey embodies that to a T. Whether it's the Lady Byng or the Masterton being renamed, I have zero issues with it given the good Johnny did for the game with his work in the community and being a small player that made it against all odds and became a star. The whole Masterton situation is pretty awful to begin with if you ever research the whole thing, his head was basically a ticking time bomb considering most thought he had a brain hemorrhage before the hit and even as far back as training camp, that trophy being named after him feels more like guilt than anything imo and that's not to say his death wasn't tragic, because it most definitely was, but I think if most actually researched who these trophies are named after, an update like Ted Linday's isn't a bad thing and isn't disrespectful to the player at all.

Masterton's death didn't immediately change the game with helmets, sadly. It took a few years for players to slowly adopt helmets and then a full 11yrs (1980) before the league pushed for it to be mandatory and then named a trophy after him (after his incident in 1968).

Like I said - Do you think the Lester B Pearson award being renamed to Ted Lindsay bothered anyone in the NHL? In any case my vote is for the change to Lady Byng.

If changing the Lester B is fine, because of someone that was more a politician than an NHL anything, then a woman that adored the gentleman aspect of the game having the trophy named to someone that personified it, is fine and it shouldn't be an issue with the rest of the players I would wager.

How many years after we start doing that do we start renaming things like the Stanley Cup, or are we going to just go for sponsorship instead - this year could be "Kraft Mac & Cheese Stanley Cup": What's in your Cup?

Lemme stop giving these people ideas...

 

[Honour Over Glory]

How many years after we start doing that do we start renaming things like the Stanley Cup, or are we going to just go for sponsorship instead - this year could be "Kraft Mac & Cheese Stanley Cup": What's in your Cup?

Lemme stop giving these people ideas...

The NHL was disbanded the moment the Lester B was changed, not a single NHL game has been played since...

No wait, nothing happened, everyone just accepted it and felt it was right amongst the NHLPA and NHL.

 

[BlueSeal]

The NHL was disbanded the moment the Lester B was changed, not a single NHL game has been played since...

No wait, nothing happened, everyone just accepted it and felt it was right amongst the NHLPA and NHL.

You're going to make me put on my browncoat and quote Firefly, friend lol.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

They could create a trophy for the top scoring player of American nationality.

 

[gstommylee]

They could create a trophy for the top scoring player of American nationality.

NO way that ever happens.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Johnny’s number should be retired in Calgary and Columbus.

i guarantee no one will ever wear number 13 in a flames jersey again

 

[behemolari]

You could do the plus/minus award in his name too since +64 of a couple of years ago is the modern era (well like post 1987) high.

Im actually with you here, plus minus trophy called Johnny Hockey award sounds about right

 

[Nogatco Rd]

How many years after we start doing that do we start renaming things like the Stanley Cup, or are we going to just go for sponsorship instead - this year could be "Kraft Mac & Cheese Stanley Cup": What's in your Cup?

Lemme stop giving these people ideas...

Kraft getting a little spicy with the double entendre there

 

[Tupu]

Havent had this feeling for a very long time. He was never my fave player, but damn was he electrfying everytime he got the puck. Even better as a friend I guess.

 

[snag]

Cecil should have never been allowed to leave the hospital and that was a major error on the Hospital's part. A 13yr old has a skull fracture, gash on her head, and seizures, but feels slightly better so they let her go home? No, you keep someone that young over night and monitor it. Because the CT scan missed what eventually killed the poor child.

The deflection that hit her did injure her, but that Hospital f***ed up royally.

Strange coincidence Brittanie was there to watch the Jackets and the Flames....

 

[Lshap]

The many ideas for honouring Gaudreau are well-intentioned. IMO the most reasonable approach is to have something unique that reflects his legacy, rather than shoehorning him into an existing award and steamrolling over an existing legacy.

 

[MM917]

I understand that this is fresh in people's mind and it was certainly tragic given the timing of his sisters wedding and his brother being with him but it seems like many are going over the top with wanting to change awards and retire his number. He was a ok player, nowhere close to a great and it seems silly to go over the top just because he died tragically.

(mod)

 

[EpiK Sandwich]

I do not post very often, I am mostly a reader who forgets to log in on most visits. However, I wanted to post on this thread.

Since moving to Columbus about 10 years ago, I adopted the team as my "2nd" favorite team. Working at one of the many team sponsors, I have been able to get tickets and such over the years. I appreciate how the fanbase shows up regardless of record, good and bad times. The signing of Johnny Hockey sent this fanbase to another level.

Seeing him play in person was a treat. But hearing about all the great things he was as a person as a family man, community member, friend, father, etc. was even more impressive. You could tell he wanted to be here and appreciated being here.

Watching all of the possible rumors and news come out last week was truly gut-wrenching. I did not want to believe what I was reading Friday morning at my desk downtown. Driving by the arena felt surreal. Seeing everyone paying tribute was incredible.. but I couldn't process it that day as real. After a few days, it still is hard to think about.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Johnny and Matthew as they will truly never be whole again. Also to the NHL/hockey community as we grieve 2 great individuals. This has put me through a whole bunch of thought exercises, both good and bad.. but the most important point for me is that no one is guaranteed another minute, hour, or day. My takeaway is to try and be the best person I can be to the people that matter the most in my life, because that is what Johnny and Matthew exemplified.

Fly High, Gaudreau brothers.

 

[JPT]

I understand that this is fresh in people's mind and it was certainly tragic given the timing of his sisters wedding and his brother being with him but it seems like many are going over the top with wanting to change awards and retire his number. He was a ok player, nowhere close to a great and it seems silly to go over the top just because he died tragically.

(mod)

OK players don't put up 100 points in the NHL.

 

[Curufinwe]

JG had the 9th most points in the NHL in the last decade.

Seems like better than OK to me.

 

[Toby91ca]

Im actually with you here, plus minus trophy called Johnny Hockey award sounds about right

I get the discussion around various trophies and the names. I think there is a better way to honour him, not sure an award needs to be named after him. If you were to rename an award in his honour, I'm really not sure which one you'd rename. I get the Masterton, but that would be one of the last awards I'd rename. Totally different scenario vs. Pearson moving to Lindsay. After that, I'm not sure what award makes sense for him anyway....maybe the Byng I guess. In terms of plus minus, that simply doesn't make sense in my mind. I get that he led the league once with +64 and it's the highest in the last 30 years or something, but 2 teammates had +61 and +57. During his years in the league, he was an overall +25, well behind the leaders at over +200. If you are going to find a name to attach to the plus minus award, there are far better candidates (Robinson for example).

 

[Ol' Jase]

How many years after we start doing that do we start renaming things like the Stanley Cup, or are we going to just go for sponsorship instead - this year could be "Kraft Mac & Cheese Stanley Cup": What's in your Cup?

Lemme stop giving these people ideas...

You think that the immense legacy of what Lady Byng gave to the game of hockey will be dramatically affected by renaming the trophy?