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Emily Kaplan, ESPNSep 18, 2024, 02:41 PM ET
CloseEmily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sean Monahan said he will miss Johnny Gaudreau for the rest of his life — but called it “special to get that memory every day” as his locker stall is next to the one the team will keep reserved for the late Columbus Blue Jackets star.
Monahan, 29, signed a five-year deal in Columbus this summer in part to reunite with Gaudreau, his teammate for nine years in Calgary, whom he called “arguably my best friend.”
As the Blue Jackets opened training camp on Wednesday, Monahan spoke for the first time publicly since Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on Aug. 29. Monahan was a pallbearer at the funeral and was going to live three houses down from the Gaudreau family in Ohio.
“I still don’t know the exact words to even say,” said Monahan, who wore a shirt featuring a large No. 13 and a photo of Gaudreau to the news conference.
“I’m excited for the season. I’m excited to get it going. We’re going to miss Johnny. I’m going to miss Johnny a lot. It’s something I think about every day. It’s definitely really hard to get through, but we’ve got a great group here and we’re going to miss him as a team.”
The team announced plans to formally honor Gaudreau, including wearing a helmet sticker featuring the name Gaudreau, two doves and the numbers 13 and 21 — which Johnny and Matthew wore in their hockey careers. The team will also have a No. 13 patch on their jerseys throughout the season and postponed traditional opening night festivities — including player blue carpet arrivals — to the second game, as the Oct. 15 opener at Nationwide Arena will be focused on honoring the Gaudreau brothers.
The Blue Jackets will reserve a locker stall for Gaudreau all season and will hang his No. 13 jersey in it, both at home and on the road.
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Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/41315879/blue-jackets-announce-plans-honor-late-johnny-gaudreau
Author : Emily Kaplan
Publish date : 2024-09-18 20:10:25
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