Emotional tribute: Blue Jackets begin home opener without left winger to honour Johnny Gaudreau
Tears are flowing throughout the hockey community as the Columbus Blue Jackets have gone above and beyond honouring Johnny Gaudreau before their game against the Florida Panthers.
The passing of the two brothers, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau is still deeply affecting many in the hockey world even though the tragic incident happened over a month ago, along with their family, friends and teammates who are still mourning and grieving to this day.
Since the terrible news was confirmed, many tributes from all around the league have emerged as, teams, players, politicians, and even other celebrities all showed how much they loved �Johnny Hockey'.
A very beautiful tribute has been set up by the Columbus Blue Jackets before their home opener, as they setup a memorial insider the Nationwide Arena, with a replica of Johnny's locker, game-worn jersey, sticks and many other memorabilia:
Truly a great display of true class from the Blue Jackets as they continue to honour their fallen star. Throughout the league many organizations have honoured Johnny in different ways, one being that all the teams are wearing a #13 on the back of their helmets, and some even changing their jersey number to 13 to honour their fallen hero. This really shows how much of an impact Johnny Gaudreau has made throughout the National Hockey League.
However, right as the matchup began between the Blue Jackets and Panthers, the Blue Jackets started with four players on the ice and left the left-winger position open for Johnny Gaudreau, along with giving that position the puck for the first 13-seconds of the game:
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Columbus Blue Jackets should retire the number 13 for Johnny Gaudreau? | ||
| Yes | 138 | 85.2 % |
| No | 24 | 14.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
