Sudden death of “Johnny Hockey” means more hard times for the beleaguered Columbus Blue Jackets – News-Herald

By MITCH STACY

The Columbus Blue Jackets officials could hardly believe their luck when they convinced superstar Johnny Gaudreau to forgo bigger markets and sign two years ago.

The enthusiastic fans hoped that “Johnny Hockey” would score goals and help lift a struggling team that had only made the playoffs six times in the previous 21 seasons and had only made it past the first round twice.

A few other big stars had played with the Blue Jackets for a while, but for one reason or another, things didn't work out or they didn't want to stay. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin were popular with fans and led Columbus to a playoff victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019. But when their contracts expired, they couldn't get out of town fast enough.

Gaudreau, one of the game's best players who spent his first eight years in the NHL with Calgary, certainly seemed changed. He was excited to play for Columbus and be closer to his family in New Jersey, making his sudden death along with that of his brother on August 29 a devastating tragedy for Blue Jackets fans. He was only 31 years old.

“For Johnny Gaudreau to come here and choose Columbus was literally a validation for us. We are a hockey town, this is a hockey market. People want to play here. Johnny Gaudreau was literally the embodiment of that,” said Nick Shannon, who came to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus on August 30 to pay his last respects.

Gaudreau and his younger brother died when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, near their hometown in southern New Jersey. Their sister's wedding, scheduled for August 30, was canceled.

“When he signed his contract, his famous words were, 'It's a great place to raise a family.' And we were his family,” said Ninell Baker, a Blue Jackets season ticket holder who also showed up at the downtown arena. “The players loved him. We all loved him. It breaks my heart. I don't even know how to act.”

Fans making their way to the arena entrance left flowers, hats, shirts and plenty of hockey sticks. A bagpiper in a kilt and a Gaudreau sweater bearing the Blue Jackets' No. 13 played while pacing a sidewalk.

Gaudreau's shocking death was the second off-ice tragedy in three years for a franchise struggling to get back on its feet. The organization was rocked when goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks was killed in a fireworks accident in July 2021 while attending the wedding of the daughter of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace in Michigan. Kivlenieks was just 24 years old.

Injuries, bad luck and mismanagement have derailed the Blue Jackets in recent seasons, despite Gaudreau's performances of 74 and 60 points in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively.

Coach John Tortorella led Columbus to the playoffs for four consecutive seasons but was fired after missing the 2021 postseason. His protégé Brad Larsen lasted two seasons before being fired.

The Blue Jackets made Mike Babcock the highest-paid coach in team history when he was hired in the summer of 2023. Babcock didn't even make it through the season and was fired just before training camp after complaints that his requests to see photos on players' phones were too intrusive.

Pascal Vincent, who had been hired as associate head coach, was promoted to head coach on the eve of training camp. Columbus finished last season as one of the worst teams in the NHL and was eliminated from the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen was fired midway through last season. Longtime NHL executive Don Waddell was hired as GM in May and fired Vincent in June. Waddell hired former Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason to replace Vincent.

Now Evason will be without Gaudreau, who would have been his best player, and Patrik Laine, the talented forward acquired in a 2021 trade who the team hoped would complement Gaudreau on the front line.

Laine, 26, played 18 games last season before being accepted into the NHL Player Assistance Program last January. Laine told Blue Jackets management he needed “a change of scenery” and was traded to Montreal last month.

“We really have no choice but to keep going,” Shannon said. “As a Blue Jackets fan or any other sports fan in Ohio, you have to hang in there.”

Associated Press freelance writers Nicole Kraft and Cameron Moone contributed to this report.

Originally published: August 31, 2024 at 3:12 pm