WWE Pays Classy, Emotional Tribute to Johnny Gaudreau

Tributes have been pouring in from all over the sports world in honor of late Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who were tragically killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding bikes in New Jersey on the eve of their sister's wedding.

On Monday night, there were some classy and incredibly emotional tributes courtesy of the WWE on this week's edition of Monday Night Raw, which was held at Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome, home of the Calgary Flames, with which Gaudreau started and spent the bulk of his NHL career with.

The first came from Canadian wrestler Sami Zayn who made his entrance wearing one of Gaudreau's No.13 Flames jerseys in a segment with WWE legend and Calgary native Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

However, that wasn't the end of the tribute as they took more than two minutes later in the show to honor Gaudreau in the same building that he called home from 2014 to 2022. 

An especially emotional moment of the tribute came when WWE backstage interviewer Jackie Redmond — who is also a veteran hockey reporter covering games for TNT and the NHL Network — visited the memorial outside of the Saddledome where fans had left jerseys, cards, flowers, and more.

"He was a special type of player. The type of player who got people out of their seats and onto their feet the second the puck was on his stick," Redmond said during the tribute. "He was magical to watch."

We've talked before about what an impact Gaudreau had on the cities he played in and on fans, and there's another example.

By sheer coincidence, the WWE's visit to Calagary — and therefore their tribute to Gaudreau — happened on the same day that the Gaudreau brothers' were laid to rest with a funeral service in Media, Pennsylvania.