Sudden death of 'Johnny Hockey' means more hard times for beleaguered Columbus Blue Jackets

Hylas Stemen, facing, of Columbus, hugs Dave Fetzer at a memorial set up by fans for Blue Jackets hockey player Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2024. Gaudreau, along with his brother Matthew, was fatally struck by a motorist while riding his bicycle on Thursday. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)

Columbus Blue Jackets officials could hardly believe their luck when they persuaded superstar Johnny Gaudreau to pass up larger markets and sign here two years ago.

Ecstatic fans looked to “Johnny Hockey” to score goals and jumpstart the fortunes of a struggling team that had reached the playoffs just six times in the previous 21 seasons and advanced beyond the opening round only twice.

A few other big stars had spent time with the Blue Jackets, but for one reason or another they didn't work out or didn't care to hang around. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin were beloved by fans and led Columbus to a playoff sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019. But they couldn't get out of town fast enough when their contracts expired.

Gaudreau, one of the sport's top players who spent his first eight years in the league with Calgary, certainly seemed different. He was excited to play for Columbus and be closer to his family in New Jersey, which for Blue Jackets fans makes his sudden death along with his brother Thursday night in a shattering tragedy even harder to take. He was just 31.

“Johnny Gaudreau coming here, actually choosing Columbus was literally our validation. Like we are a hockey town, this is a hockey market. People want to play here. Johnny Gaudreau was literally the embodiment of that," said Nick Shannon, who came to Nationwide Arena in Colubmus on Friday to pay his respects.

Gaudreau and his younger brother died after they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles in Oldsman Township, close to their New Jersey hometown. Their sister's wedding, scheduled for Friday, was called off.

“When he first signed, his famous words were, ‘It’s a great place to raise a family.’ And we were his family,” said Ninell Baker, a Blue Jackets season-ticket holder who also showed up at the downtown arena. “The players loved him. We all loved him. It breaks my heart. I don’t even know how to act.”

Fans who made their way to the front of the arena left behind flowers, caps, shirts and lots of hockey sticks in Columbus, as well as in Calgary, where Gaudreau remained a beloved figure after he left the club. A bagpiper in a kilt and a Blue Jackets' No. 13 Gaudreau sweater played as he walked up and down a sidewalk.

Gaudreau's shocking death was the second off-ice tragedy in three years for a franchise struggling to get back on its feet. The organization was rocked when goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks was killed in a fireworks accident in July 2021 while attending the wedding of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace’s daughter in Michigan. Kivlenieks was just 24.

Injuries, bad luck and mismanagement

Injuries, bad luck and mismanagement have knocked the Blue Jackets off track in the past few seasons, despite Gaudreau's 74- and 60-point efforts in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively.

Coach John Tortorella led Columbus to the playoffs for four straight seasons but was fired after missing the postseason in 2021. A protege, Brad Larsen, lasted two seasons before he was let go.

The Blue Jackets made Mike Babcock the highest-paid coach in team history when he was hired in the summer of 2023. Babcock didn't even make it to the season, fired just before training camp amid complaints that his requests to see photos on players' phones were too invasive.

Pascal Vincent, who had been hired as an associate head coach, was elevated to the top job on the eve of training camp. Columbus finished last season as one of the worst teams in the NHL and out of the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen was fired in the middle of last season. Longtime NHL executive Don Waddell was hired as GM in May, and he fired Vincent in June. Waddell hired former Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason to replace Vincent.

Now Evason will be without Gaudreau, who would have been his best player. He will also be without Patrik Laine, the talented forward acquired in a 2021 trade who the team hoped would complement Gaudreau on the top line.

The 26-year-old Laine played 18 games last season before entering the NHL Player Assistance Program last January. Telling Blue Jackets management he needed “a change of scenery,” Laine was traded to Montreal last month.

“We really don’t have a choice but to keep going," Shannon said. "To be a Blue Jackets fan, or any sports fan in Ohio, you need to be resilient.”

___

Associated Press freelancer writers Nicole Kraft and Cameron Moone contributed.