The Blue Jackets were joined by a group of their mothers Thursday night in Detroit for a ‘Moms’ Trip’ that included Jane Gaudreau.
The mother of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, brothers who were killed Aug. 29 when struck by a vehicle while riding bikes, donned her son’s Blue Jackets jersey and joined her peers for the Jackets’ impressive 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesar’s Arena.
Related Gaudreau article:Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks fans sing happy birthday to Johnny Gaudreau’s son
Next up is an outdoor rematch for the Blue Jackets against the Red Wings on Saturday at Ohio Stadium (6 p.m.), where the Gaudreau brothers and their surviving family will be honored during the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game.
“We’re going to celebrate Johnny and do it in a different way,” said Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president of content and events. “This is a unique, worldwide forum to make sure that his story and his memory stays alive, and that he is celebrated, and the family is celebrated in a unique way. They’ll be a part of everything that goes on Saturday, as well.”
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The Gaudreau family — including Jane, their father Guy, sisters Kristen and Katie, wives Meredith (Johnny) and Madeline (Matthew) — have celebrated the lives of their sons, brothers and husbands all season. They’ve made appearances for tribute ceremonies in Columbus, Calgary, Philadelphia, Boston and other locales that were key to the brothers’ lives.
The Jackets have also kept Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey with them, hanging it in his locker stall, and they changed their postgame “player of the game” award from a blue Civil War era kepi hat to a gray donkey hat that symbolizes his favorite nickname for teammates.
Guy Gaudreau, an avid hockey fan and coach, has also skated at practices with the Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames and the U.S. national team prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, while Johnny Gaudreau Jr., recently celebrated his first birthday in Columbus with a packed Nationwide Arena crowd singing Happy Birthday to him.
Now, another global television audience can remember the Gaudreau brothers along with 90,000-plus expected to attend the first outdoor hockey game in Columbus — a city that surprisingly won over Johnny and Meredith Gaudreau during NHL free agency in July 2022.
Story was updated to correct an inaccuracy in the headline.
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