Johnny, Matthew Gaudreau Honored Ahead of Blue Jackets' Home Opener vs. Panthers

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers honored Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau before Columbus' home opener on Tuesday night.

Prior to dropping the puck, the Blue Jackets shared a video celebrating Johnny's life on and off the ice:

Friends and family members of the Gaudreaus were on hand for the game and watched a banner with his No. 13 jersey raised toward the rafters of Nationwide Arena.

The tributes continued as the game got underway:

The Jackets previously announced they'll wear a commemorative helmet decal with the Gaudreaus' jersey numbers throughout the 2024-25 NHL season. They and the Panthers had Johnny's name and number on their pregame warmups.

The Blue Jackets also have a memorial to the brothers set up inside their home arena:

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was teammates with Johnny for six seasons on the Calgary Flames. An illness kept Tkachuk out of the lineup on Tuesday, but he found a special way to pay homage to Gaudreau.

Panthers rinkside reporter Katie Engleson reported he arranged for Panthers players to arrive with purple Gatorade and a pack of Skittles since both were staples for Gaudreau.

"Unfortunately, I won't be there tonight in Columbus," Tkachuk said in a statement shared by the Panthers. "Johnny was a huge part of the hockey community but to me he was much more than that. A great friend, teammate, and family man. Not a day goes by without me thinking about Johnny and Matthew.

"The biggest thing I'm going to miss about tonight is not being able to see Meredith, Noa, little Johnny, Guy and Jane. Would love to give them all big hugs! Johnny will be my teammate forever."

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey in August.

Johnny spent 11 years in the NHL, his first nine with the Flames and his last two in Columbus. Matthew skated for Boston College, following in his older brother's footsteps, and eventually returned to his high school alma mater, Gloucester Catholic, as its coach.