'Heartbreak': Columbus Blue Jackets fans mourn Johnny Gaudreau outside Nationwide Arena
A steady stream of Blue Jackets fans, most draped in the team's blue, red and white colors, visited Nationwide Arena Friday to mourn the passing of star forward Johnny Gaudreau, who died Thursday night along with his brother after being struck by a suspected drunk driver while bike riding.
Fans left flowers, said prayers, embraced each other and wept outside Nationwide Arena's east entrance, beneath a mural of Gaudreau and the Jackets' other star players.
"It's heartbreak. Heartbreak," Blue Jackets fan Shelley Smith said outside the arena. "The only thing that I can think, the only words is just heartbreak."
Gaudreau, 31, nicknamed "Johnny Hockey," was struck and killed while biking with his brother, Matt, 29, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, Thursday evening. A driver suspected of hitting the brothers while under the influence of alcohol was arrested and charged with two counts of death by auto.
Gaudreau and his brother were killed a day before they were scheduled to appear as groomsmen in their sister's wedding in Philadelphia, according to a post on a popular wedding site. Gaudreau leaves behind his daughter, Noa, his son, Johnny, and his wife, Meredith.
"I can't help but think of the entire family and what all they're going through," fan Nate McBride said outside the arena. "The parents, the siblings whose wedding day it is, the kids who are going to grow up without a dad. It's really tough, and I hope this brings more awareness to drunk driving and that people need to think before they act."
After nine seasons with the Calgary Flames, Gaudreau signed a $68.25 million contract with the Blue Jackets in 2022. His move to a team fresh off a 37-38 season shocked many in the NHL, but Gaudreau made his reasoning clear. He wanted to raise his children in Columbus.
Josh Roach, a lifelong Blue Jackets fan born and raised in Columbus, went to the arena to support the player who raised the city's sports profile.
"Johnny chose to come to Columbus. Superstar. No one does that, right?" Roach said, his voice swelling with emotion.
Jordan Stein, who coaches in the Blue Jackets youth league, said he sees one number on the back of children's jerseys more than any other: Gaudreau's number 13.
"Those kids really look up to Johnny Gaudreau," Stein said. "It's going to be a hard session. It's going to be a hard year."
Gaudreau's death marks the second tragedy the Blue Jackets have faced in the past four years. Goalie Matiss Kivlenieks died in a fireworks mishap in July 2021, a fact not forgotten by mourning fans.
"My husband said that we were cursed this morning, and I don't like that word, but it feels that way," Smith said. "It feels like there's some cloud over top of Columbus that we'll get through. We'll get through it. This is a tough, tough team, tough city, and I think that it's just going to make us stronger and more resilient."
Gaudreau led the Blue Jackets in points last season with 12 goals, 48 assists, and 60 points. He also led the team the season before that with 21 points, 53 assists and 74 points. Gaudreau's prowess on the ice even trickled down to local hockey players looking to capture a bit of his talent.
Eli Weisblat, a lifetime hockey player who is 5 feet 10, said Gaudreau, who was 5-9, showed that hard work pays off, even as a smaller player.
"I'm not going to say that I would put my game anywhere close to his. He was a special player, but he's one of those guys that you could tell that by the way he played, he was extremely humble," Weisblat said. "He would always look to pass first. And I tried to play like that."
Stein, the Blue Jackets Hockey League coach, said Gaudreau was the city's first elite player and the face of the Blue Jackets franchise.
"Just look at him skate. Look at the way that he played the game. He jumped off the ice," Stein said.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets fans flock to Nationwide Arena to mourn Johnny Gaudreau
