Blue Jackets extend special invitation to father of Johnny Gaudreau

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Cooper Godin
October 14, 2024 (4:36 PM)

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have extended a special invitation to the father of Johnny Gaudreau, Guy, on Monday.

When the Columbus Blue Jackets took to the ice on Monday at Nationwide Arena to prepare for their home opener tomorrow, there was a special guest on the ice with the team - Guy Gaudreau, the father of Johnny Gaudreau, who joined them as a guest coach for the day.

After practice, Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason spoke about having Guy Gaudreau with the team at practice on Monday and that he told him he's more than welcome with the Blue Jackets any time he wishes. Evason added that Guy Gaudreau will be back on ice with the Blue Jackets for their morning skate.

"I said to him, 'Anytime you want to come out, you're more than welcome,' and he said, 'Well, are you having a morning skate tomorrow?' I said yeah, so he's coming out tomorrow as well. He just wants to be around and it's fantastic." Evason said.

He added, "All that family's been through, it's been fantastic and his attitude and the way that he had a such a positive attitude in our room. We were doing practice planning and he's just jumping in on stuff. It was really nice."

It's great to see the Columbus Blue Jackets welcome Guy Gaudreau in and allow him to be with the team at practices. It's a tough time for the Gaudreau family after the passing of Johnny and Matthew back at the end of August and being on the ice probably gives Guy a sense of comfort during a dark period.

Tomorrow at Nationwide Arena, the Columbus Blue Jackets will host the Florida Panthers for their home opener and it's going to be an emotional night for the organization, the fan base as they honour the life of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. It's unclear what specifically the Blue Jackets organization have planned for tomorrow night, but it would be great to see them retire Johnny's number 13 and raise it to the rafters.