Johnny Hockey: Johnny Gaudreau Was An Inspiration To An Entire Generation Before Tragic Death

People who have played or have followed hockey over the years know that it's a small community of people.  All of that community woke up feeling like they had been kicked in the stomach after hearing the news that Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, had been tragically killed while riding their bikes in New Jersey.  This just hours before their sister was supposed to get married.

Obviously, the human element of the tragedy is heartbreaking enough. The incident left the Gaudreau family without two sons, while Gaudreau's wife lost a husband, and his children a father.

READ: EMOTIONAL TRIBUTES POUR IN HONORING JOHNNY GAUDREAU AFTER DEATH

On top of that though, Gaudreau inspired millions of players and fans who were inspired by his gutsy play and seemingly ever-present smile.

He loved the game. He was Johnny Hockey.

Johnny Gaudreau had a stellar career at Boston College that included a Hobey Baker Award in 2014. (Getty Images)

Gaudreau Inspired With His Style And Spirit 

Gaudreau played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints and went on to be drafted in the fourth round, 104th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

However, Gaudreau didn't go straight to Calgary, instead, he decided to play in the NCAA ranks and that's where he really started to make a name for himself.

Both Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau played their college hockey at Boston College, with the two playing as teammates for one season. At BC, Gaudreau was part of a line with fellow NHLers Kevin Hayes of the St. Louis Blues and Cam Atkinson of the Tampa Bay Lightning and he went on to win the Hobey Baker Award in 2014 as the best player in college hockey.

Gaudreau made his NHL debut with the Flames at the tail end of the 2013-14 season but appeared in just one game. His full rookie season came in 2014-15 and that was when the nickname "Johnny Hockey" — a nod to Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel's similar nickname, "Johnny Football" — started to take off to the point that he trademarked it in both the US and Canada.

It was fitting, too. In Gaudreau's rookie campaign, he posted 64 points (24G, 40A) in 80 games. That was good enough to land him his first All-Star appearance, a spot on the NHL's All-Rookie Team, and propelled him to third place in the Calder Trophy voting behind Mark Stone, then of the Ottawa Senators, and that year's winner, Florida Panthers blueliner Aaron Ekblad.

While the numbers and accolades were attention-grabbing, what endeared Gaudreau to a lot of fans — especially young players — was the way he played despite his relatively under-sized stature.

Gaudreau stood at 5'9", and weighed under 170 pounds, but like players from previous generations like  Henri "The Pocket Rocket" Richard, Marcel Dionne, and Martin St. Louis, Gaudreau showed that smaller players can still have an enormous offensive impact on the game. It is something that inspired countless young players throughout his entire career who modeled their games after him.

This tweet from Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis does a good job of showing what an impactful example Gaudreau was for a lot of up-and-coming players.

How could you not cheer for a guy who seemed to defy the odds at every single turn? A mid-round draft pick who many didn't think had the size to play at the NHL level, went on to play 763 games there and scored at just under a point-per-game clip (243G, 500A, 743 points).

A desire to be closer to family on the East Coast led Johnny Gaudreau to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)

Gaudreau's Free Agency Decision Was Incredibly Relateable

I think another thing that made Gaudreau a very relatable, likable player was how his free agency played out in the summer of 2022. Gaudreau was the big fish in the free agency pool that summer, and despite some success in Calgary it was known that he wanted out.  Not because he was chasing more money than the Flames could afford to give him, but because the South Jersey native wanted his young family to be closer to his extended family.

That led to speculation that Gaudreau would sign with the team he rooted for growing up — the Philadelphia Flyers — but that simply never panned out. This due in large part to a salary cap crunch that left the Flyers unable to bring him aboard to reunite with his former college linemates Hayes and Atkinson, both Flyers at the time.

So, while playing just across the Delaware River from where he grew up wasn't in the cards, Gaudreau did sign in the Metropolitan Division. He joined the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2022-23 season, much closer to his friends and family than he was in Alberta.

Gaudreau spent his last two seasons in Columbus and missed only three regular-season games scoring 74 points and 60 points respectively. Gaudreau was meant to be one of the centerpieces of a rebuilding Columbus Blue Jackets team that looks to have potential. Surely, he had an immense impact on the franchise's young players in the short time he spent wearing a Blue Jackets sweater.

This offseason, Gaudreau played his last high-level hockey representing the United States at the IIHF World Championship.

Matthew Gaudreau followed his brother to Boston College and had a pro career of his own before turning to coaching. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Matthew Gaudreau Was Coaching The Next Generation

While Johnny Gaudreau's name will lead most of the headlines, the thing that hit me the hardest was that his brother, Matthew, lost his life at the same time. I've got a brother, and the idea of anything like the Gaudreau's are going through happening is unthinkable.

Matthew Gaudreau spent two seasons with the USHL's Omaha Lancers before joining his older brother at Boston College for the 2013-14 NCAA season.

Gaudreau spent four seasons with the Eagles before turning pro in 2017-18. That season he spent time between the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the ECHL's Worcester Railers, both affiliates of the New York Islanders.

Throughout his pro hockey career, Matthew also suited up for the Philadelphia Flyers ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals as well as the AHL's Stockton Heat.

According to a social media statement from the Flyers, after his playing career, Matthew had started coaching high school hockey in the Philadelphia area.

It's an unimaginable tragedy to lose both Johnny and Matthew, and all of us at OutKick join the rest of the hockey world in sending love and prayers to the Gaudreau family.