As you’re probably aware, brothers Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau were tragically killed this past August 29th after being hit by a suspected drunk driver while they were bicycling.
Following their passing, the Columbus Blue Jackets (for whom Johnny Gaudreau played most recently) were the first to announce they would honor the memory of the brothers with a helmet decal. The Jackets will wear the decal for the 2024-25 season.
Shortly thereafter, the NHL announced that all clubs will sport a helmet decal, and those decals will be worn by all players in all games through October 24, when the Los Angeles Kings host the San Jose Sharks in the final home opener of the season. Here’s what the decal the NHL clubs will wear looks like:
And now, USA Hockey has announced they, too, will sport a helmet decal honoring Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Here’s how it will look on their helmets:
According to Team USA, the decal artwork includes stars floating toward the heavens with the Gaudreau name and the jersey numbers of Johnny (13) and Matthew (21). Here’s a larger view:
“Johnny and Matthew, along with their families, will forever be a part of the USA Hockey family,” USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher said in the release. “This is a small way to not only honor their memory, but help keep their wonderful spirit for our great game and life in general in the forefront.”
Their death was tragic, but this really is getting to be a bit too much.
They are keeping their memory alive. If that is a bit much don’t look at anything that has to do with this tragic story. I think it’s great. They were great people
No, it’s not.
I’m actually a bit surprised that Hockey East (the conference in which Boston College plays) hasn’t announced a conference-wide memorial. The Gaudreaus were absolute legends and even fans of their rivals had to acknowledge what they meant to the conference.