Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew were tragically killed on Thursday night (Aug. 29) in Salm County, New Jersey. The siblings were riding bicycles when they were fatally struck by a vehicle operated by a suspected drunk driver.
Early Friday (Aug. 30), the Blue Jackets issued a statement on the passing of the Gaudreau brothers, aged 31 and 29, prompting both an outpouring of grief and a flood of tributes from across the hockey community, including the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton had a unique relationship with Johnny Gaudreau, who starred for the archrival Calgary Flames from 2014 to 2022. Of every NHL opponent, Gaudreau played his most games (45) and scored his most goals (14, four of them being game-winners) in the regular season against the Oilers.
Gaudreau was someone Oilers fans loved to hate, which is the greatest compliment you can receive as a member of the Flames. That means you’re doing something right. And, boy, did Gaudreau ever do a lot of good for Calgary in the Battle of Alberta.
Gaudreau Had Many Highlights Against Oilers
On Dec. 27, 2014, during his first career home game against the Oilers, Gaudreau crushed Edmonton’s post-Christmas spirit, scoring twice including the game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory over the Oilers. Then exactly a year later he did it again, notching a pair of goals including the game-winner, when Calgary beat Edmonton 5-3 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Dec. 27, 2015.
He became a 30-goal scorer for the first of three times in his career, when he potted two goals to help Calgary to a 5-0 victory over the Oilers in the Flames’ final game at Northlands Coliseum on April 2, 2016. And on March 13, 2018, Gaudreau had the only goal in Calgary’s 1-0 home win against the Oilers.
Then there was the time he dished out five apples, tied for third-most in a single regular season game in Flames history, when Calgary blasted the Oilers 9-5 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Hockey Night in Canada in 2022.
Even after going to Columbus, signing as a free agent with the Blue Jackets in the 2022 offseason, he continued to be a thorn in the Oilers’ side. His first time back in Edmonton as a member of the Blue Jackets, on Jan. 25, 2023, he set up the overtime winner by Kent Johnson that gave Columbus a 3-2 win at Rogers Place. Over the two seasons that Gaudreau played for Columbus, the Blue Jackets had a .750 winning percentage (3-1-0) against the Oilers, which was nearly two and a half times their .306 winning percentage (49-90-21) against all other teams.
Gaudreau Brought Rivalry Back to Playoffs
But Gaudreau gave one of the greatest gifts to Oilers fans, Flames fans, and really the entire hockey world, when he scored in overtime of Game 7 of Calgary’s 2022 first round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Dallas Stars.
That goal sent the Flames onto Round 2 for a matchup with the Oilers. It had been 31 years since Calgary and Edmonton had met in the NHL playoffs, and finally, thanks to Gaudreau’s heroics, one of the greatest rivalries in sports would be renewed in the postseason. The electricity in Alberta was indescribable.
Edmonton won the best-of-seven battle, four games to one, but not for lack of contributions from Gaudreau. The left winger led the Flames with six points in the series, and had a whopping 27 shots on goal, setting a franchise record for most in a postseason series lasting five games.
Gaudreau Will Be Dearly Missed
One of Edmonton’s stars in that 2022 series, Evander Kane, was the first Oilers player to take to social media after Gaudreau’s passing, expressing shock and sadness about the news and sending his heart out to the Gaudreau family.
Gaudreau’s loss will certainly be felt profoundly in the Oilers’ locker room. Defenceman Brett Kulak and forward Derek Ryan played with Gaudreau in Calgary, while forwards Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were teammates of Gaudreau on Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl also played with Gaudreau at several NHL All-Star Games.
Related: Remembering Johnny & Matthew Gaudreau With Their Lasting Impact
Nothing gets Oilers and Flames fans more excited than the Battle of Alberta. Like every rivalry, there are good guys and bad guys; Gaudreau was the former in Calgary and the latter in Edmonton, but he was a star anywhere he pulled on a jersey. And when he took that jersey off, he was just like everyone else. He was a father and a son, a spouse and a friend. A wonderful person who made a huge community impact, and as Flames legend Lanny McDonald said, would “make an ordinary person feel like the most important person in the world.” He’ll be dearly missed everywhere. Especially in Edmonton.
