Thousands gather in Calgary to remember Johnny Gaudreau

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Finnegan Frost
September 6, 2024 (10:51)

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Thousands of Calgary residents gathered outside the Scotiabnk Saddledome on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.

Johnny and his brother Matthew were struck by a vehicle near their home in Salem County, New Jersey, on Thursday night. Unfortunately, both Johnny and Matthew passed away as a result of the accident.

Thousands upon thousands of them had gathered. They held their phones in the air, flashlights on, holding a quiet but powerful vigil for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

A few feet away, many of the Calgary Flames, their coaches, management and staff did the same. All united with the fans in the same grief that had drawn so many to the old rink where «Johnny Hockey» had provided them with so many magical moments.

«To see all of you here, this is what makes me proud to be a Calgarian and this is what made Johnny so proud of the city,» said Flames general manager Craig Conroy.

This is an extremely classy move by the Flames organization. Johnny Gaudreau was a key member of the Flames organization and found a tremendous amount of success there.

Johnny Gaudreau was a 4th round draft pick by the Flames in 2011. He quickly stole the hearts of the fanbase and was given the name "Johnny Hockey" for his elite play-making abilities. Former teammate Mikeal Backlund had this to say in honour of Gaudreau:

«He always had a smile on his face, on and off the ice. I'm going to miss that smile. I'm going to miss Johnny chirping me about everything like he always loved to do. He would be all over me about everything. He would say �Come on Backs, talk to coach and get us a day off. Come on Backs, have a beer. Come on Backs, loosen up. Come on Backs, it's just hockey."

source: Calgary Herald
Thousands of Flames fans gather for candlelight vigil for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau