It has been three days since we learned we lost Johnny Gaudreau, and it still doesn’t feel real. I remember the jubilation of learning Johnny Hockey was signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and that didn’t feel real at the time, either. The grief we feel as a fan base pales in comparison to the agony the Gaudreau family must be feeling, but it’s a pain we feel nonetheless.
Now isn’t the time to talk about line combinations, season predictions, or even what the team looks like without Johnny. But it’s hard to ignore the impact on this hockey team, and the sorrow we feel isn’t isolated to this event alone. As Aaron Portzline outlined yesterday morning, the tragedy of August 29th, 2024, is only the latest in a long line of catastrophes experienced by the Blue Jackets organization in its short 24-year history, from Brittanie Cecil and Trevor Ettinger to Matiss Kivlenieks and now Johnny Gaudreau.
What has been understandably overlooked and is likely to surface in conversation in the weeks to come is the direct impact on Columbus. Not only did the Blue Jackets lose their best player, but they also lost their most high-profile free-agent signing ever. Sean Monahan signed with Columbus to play with his friend again. Kent Johnson lost his childhood idol. The locker room as a whole lost a friend and a mentor. From the management office all the way down to the ice, this loss takes the wind out of the sails of the recent organizational progress.
How do we move on from here? Don Waddell, Dean Evason, and the players have an impossible job to do. Training camp starts in less than three weeks, and the season begins in 38 days. For both the team and fans alike, this season will likely be overshadowed. Right now, it seems almost pointless to ice a team.
As a fan base, we are tired and burnt out from all that we’ve endured. The losing, the misfortune, the heartache—it all seems like too much.
But the puck will drop again, and number 13 wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s not fair, especially for Meredith, Madeline, Guy, Jane, and the entire Gaudreau family. To all of the people who knew and loved John and Matthew, they now have a hole that will never be filled. But remember that your grief is also significant. You matter, too.
So, let’s take our time to grieve. If you need to take some time away from hockey, do it. Turn off your TV and phone and spend time with your loved ones. If being here and talking hockey with other fans is how you grieve, we will be here. But don’t forget that this is just a game. Many people’s livelihood depends on this game, yes, but there’s so much more to life than this.
We will get through this somehow, and our joy of hockey will return. Just know that it’s ok if it doesn’t feel that way right now.