It was an emotional, yet memorable game as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 at Ohio Stadium.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were killed late August when struck by a drunk driver during the weekend of their sister’s wedding. The tragedy struck the world and since their passing, the NHL has honored them in several ways, with the most recent time being this past weekend. Gaudreau was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, so both teams made sure to honor him throughout the night.
The Gaudreau family led the Columbus Blue Jackets into Ohio Stadium prior to the start of the game. Meredith Gaudreau, wife of J. Gaudreau, carried their children Noa and Johnny down the rink alongside the Gaudreau brothers’ parents. Right behind them was Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan. Monahan and the Gaudreau brothers shared a special bond, while playing for the Blue Jackets and the center continues to be a present family friend in the lives of Gaudreau family.
The late brothers were also honored in both teams’ game day attire. The Red Wings wore jerseys from both brothers’ careers and the Blue Jackets wore a “typical” J. Gaudreau outfit: a hoodie, black sweatpants and a black hat. The idea for the simple, yet meaningful outfit came from the leadership team of Captain Boone Jenner of the Jackets. In conversation with The Columbus Dispatch Jenner said “We thought of it quite a while ago and we just thought it was fitting. To us, that’s a signature Johnny fit, and we’ve seen him come to the rink in that or something very similar. It’s just a special thing we wanted to do for him, and we’ve had so many good times with him, in those clothes. I mean, it was special… It was special to wear that and come in like that, for us.”
With over 94,000 fans in attendance, both teams gave them a show. After a scoreless first period, defenseman Denton Mateychuk opened the scoring after a pass from captain Jenner to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead just 5 minutes into the second. The Red Wings answered with a goal of their own from right wing Alex DeBrincat on the power play. The Blue Jackets got their own power play goal just four minutes later when left wing Dmitri Voronkov found the back of the net giving his team a 2-1 lead. Just 32 seconds later, fellow teammate Mathieu Olivier scored a backhander to give the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead entering the third period.
The Red Wings did not let the two-goal deficit affect them as Patrick Kane scored a quick goal just three minutes into the period to cut the Blue Jackets’ lead down to one. After a back-and-forth battle, DeBrincat scored his second of the game with just four minutes remaining in the period to tie up the score.
However, Blue Jackets’ center Justin Danforth quickly found the back of the net with a quick snapshot to give his team the lead once again. Once the Red Wings pulled their goalie in the final two minutes of the game, center Adam Fantilli scored an empty-netter to give the Blue Jackets a 5-3 lead securing the win.
The Blue Jacket’s win pushed them past the Red Wings for the top stop in the Wild Card rankings. It will be a close race towards the postseason as both teams are competing for the top spot.
After the game, M. Gaudreau expressed her gratitude via Instagram, in a heartfelt statement:
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the NHL, Detroit Red Wings and especially the Columbus Blue Jackets for honoring John in so many ways during the Stadium Series this weekend. The management, players, wives and fans from both organizations made my family feel so loved and supported. Thank you most of all for including our children by making them a big part of all the events throughout the weekend. I know John truly appreciates it as much as I do.”