We now know the preliminary plans on how the Columbus Blue Jackets will honor the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. That is just the start of what’s to come back.
Firstly of Media Day on Wednesday, the Blue Jackets introduced that they are going to be honoring the Gaudreau’s on each their helmets and their jerseys all through the season. In addition they introduced a few of the occasions surrounding their opening week of regular-season house video games.
Preseason
Through the preseason, the Blue Jackets will put on a particular sticker on their helmets. The sticker is blue with grey trim and can function GAUDREAU on it. There can even be two doves between the numbers 13 and 21, the numbers that Johnny and Matthew wore all through their careers.
The Blue Jackets will then maintain a second of silence earlier than their first preseason house recreation on Wednesday Sept 25 in opposition to the St. Louis Blues in remembrance of the brothers. The cumulative whole raised with the 50/50’s from all 4 preseason video games operating by means of till the second intermission of the house opener on Tuesday October 15 will go to the John and Matthew Gaudreau Basis.
Common Season
As soon as the common season begins, the Blue Jackets will put on a quantity 13 patch on their jerseys. It will begin on October 10 in opposition to the Minnesota Wild and proceed all through the common season.
The Blue Jackets normally maintain their Celebration on the Plaza and Blue Carpet arrivals on opening night time. These actions at the moment are scheduled to happen for the second house recreation Thursday October 12 in opposition to the Buffalo Sabres.
On opening night time, the Blue Jackets will rejoice the reminiscence of Gaudreau brothers. Further particulars surrounding this can be introduced by the crew at a later date.
Gaudreau Will Be With Them All the time
It was apparent the feelings current on the media availability. Gamers Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan all spoke about beginning camp with Gaudreau on the forefront of their minds.
GM Don Waddell introduced on Wednesday that the crew has taken steps to verify the Gaudreau’s are with all of them season. First, they’re conserving a stall within the locker room for Johnny. Monahan admitted that his stall can be subsequent to Johnny’s.
Johnny’s jersey can even be hung each recreation. He can even journey with the crew. “Johnny would need us to go play hockey and Meredith stated it on the funeral,” Waddell stated. “Johnny would need you guys to play hockey. So we’re going to honor them. Our first house common season recreation goes to be a tribute to them and I believe the gamers are going to reply very nicely to it.”
Coach Dean Evason spoke for the primary time to the media for the reason that tragedy. One of many first questions they contemplated together with the management was “what would Johnny need us to do?”
“They usually stated, we most likely wish to go watch soccer and have a pair beers,” Evason stated. “And in order that’s what I’m going to attempt to and the teaching employees’s going to attempt to emphasize to our group is that his stall continues to be right here. Inform tales, keep in mind, chuckle with our movies we put collectively for camp. Our preliminary movies had been like can we take Johnny out of all of the clips? And stated, completely not. Johnny’s going to show. We’re going to (present) good and dangerous. If he didn’t again verify, we are going to present it. So he’s going to be with us. He’s going to be a presence in our locker room at house and on the street.”