Suffice it to say, it's been a heavy last few weeks.
On Monday, brothers Johnny and Matt Gaudreau were laid to rest following the Aug. 29 accident in which drunk driver Sean Higgins hit the brothers on their bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.
Hockey has probably been the furthest from the minds of most, whether indirectly or directly connected to the recent tragedy.
As tough as it is to acknowledge and accept that the lives of Johnny and Matt have come to an untimely end so soon, I wanted to look back at Johnny's two seasons in Columbus where he starred on and off the ice every day.
Johnny led the Blue Jackets in points and assists in each of his two seasons with the club. In his first year in Central Ohio in 2022-23, he scored 74 points (21 goals, 53 assists). In 2023-24, he had 60 points (12 goals, 41 assists) in 81 games.
Not only did Gaudreau exhibit tremendous scoring ability, but he was also one tough customer who was hard to take out of the lineup. To the tune of 349 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak at the time that the streak ended due to a lower-body injury in 2023.
A seven-time NHL All-Star, Gaudreau represented the Blue Jackets at NHL All-Star weekend at Sunrise, Florida in 2023. He scored three goals during the Metropolitan Division's 10-6 defeat to the Central Division.
On Oct. 14, 2022, Gaudreau played his first game as a Blue Jacket at Nationwide Arena. At the 2:21 mark of the first period, he scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket.
Columbus lost the game 5-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Here is a look at all of Gaudreau's 12 goals from the '23-24 season thanks to Ice Hockey Vids and all 21 of his goals from '22-23 thanks to WallyCBJ.
One of the favorite Johnny goals occurred only four games in as a Blue Jacket on Oct. 18, 2022, at Nationwide Arena against the Vancouver Canucks.
A player who, by his admission, considered himself a playmaker — the numbers bear this out — at his introductory press conference upon signing with the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2022, he went end-to-end with the individual effort to shoot, score, and tie the game at 3-3. Columbus won the game 4-3 in overtime and Gaudreau had the first of his 35 multi-point games a Blue Jacket, with a goal and an assist on this night.
In the very next game against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 20, Gaudreau had his first multi-goal game as Columbus found a rare win over Nashville, 5-3.
On Mar. 14, 2023, Gaudreau had a five-point effort (two goals, three assists) including the winning goal in a 6-5 overtime win at the San Jose Sharks. He had a career-best six-point game in 2019 with the Calgary Flames and a five-assist game in 2022 with Calgary.
On Apr. 9 against the Lightning, Gaudreau earned the 500th assist of his career in a 5-2 loss. Gaudreau’s final career scoring tally is 743 points (243 goals, 500 assists) in 763 games.
Milestone night.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 10, 2024
22nd and 23rd goals for Marchenko, Gaudreau picks up his 500th career assist. Werenski picks up his 44th assist and has tied James Wisniewski for most among defensemen in a season. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/2b0kqfptR5
In addition to Gaudreau’s on-ice prowess and playmaking ability as a facilitator, Gaudreau was also a true man of the people, devoting much of his time to charitable acts and causes.
Among these included donating to support men's mental health through the OhioHealth Foundation in support of teammate Patrik Laine after Laine entered the Player Assistance Program earlier this year.
Gaudreau’s presence on and off the ice has been felt by many through the years. And his memory provides a lasting imprint.
What was your favorite Gaudreau memory and highlight?
