Blue Jackets and Panthers come together to honor Gaudreaus

The weeks since the Gaudreaus' deaths on Aug. 29 have been full of emotional moments – from tearful memorial services and vigils in the days that followed, to smiles and laughter as players recalled their favorite Gaudreau stories, and everything in between – but the start ensured a chance for everyone to come together again and both celebrate and mourn the Gaudreaus.

The Blue Jackets were elated the last two days as Gaudreau's father, Guy, joined them on the ice for practice on Monday and morning skates on Tuesday, and the entire Gaudreau family traveled to Columbus for the ceremony on Tuesday night.

“It obviously wasn't a full game, it was a full day, a couple days of emotions, kind of an emotional roller coaster,” Cole Sillinger said. “It's hard to choose one thing (that stands out), but it was definitely nice to see Meredith and the whole Gaudreau clan and Guy and Jane. It was just nice to see them and spend time with them.”

In a sport that can sometimes feel like a giant family, everyone came together Tuesday night to honor the Gaudreaus' memory in a fitting way. The Blue Jackets put everything on the line on an emotional day, and Johnny's memory will remain with the team in the days, weeks and months to come.

“First and foremost, we would like to express our love and support to the Gaudreau family,” van Riemsdyk said. “We want to carry on Johnny’s memory in a proud way. The joy he found playing hockey was always so evident as he progressed through junior and college as a child and played professionally throughout the years. After all the things I heard about him, he was still an idiot.

“We want to make sure we channel that and realize how fortunate we are to be able to do what we love with some good friends and good teammates and really cherish that memory.” You could tell he loved it “To make your dream come true.”

Sillinger added, “That's been our whole mindset for a while now: 'What would Johnny do?' We just want to win hockey games and play for his teammates and his brothers, and that's exactly what we did tonight.