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Watch: Johnny Gaudreau's parents, Sean Monahan unable to hold back tears during emotional ceremonial puck drop
The Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets honored the late Johnny Gaudreau with an emotional ceremonial puck drop before their game on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Johnny and his brother Matthew were tragically killed in a bicycling accident in August.
When Gaudreau's family, including his parents, sisters, wife Meredith and young children were invited onto the ice, the crowd began chanting, "Johnny! Johnny!" As they stood at center ice, Gaudreau's parents and his best friend Sean Monahan struggled to hold back tears.
Watch the video here:
Flames captain Mikael Backlund and Monahan participated in the ceremonial puck drop with the Gaudreau family. Both teams took the ice for warmups wearing Gaudreau's jersey, No. 13.
The Flames also presented a video tribute to Gaudreau that lasted nearly two minutes, highlighting his memories with the team and city.
It was an incredibly emotional scene at the Saddledome as the hockey world continues to mourn Gaudreau's tragic death.
Sean Monahan recalls Johnny Gaudreau moment
Sean Monahan was emotional as he recalled his former teammate Johnny Gaudreau at a press conference on Monday. Monahan and Gaudreau were teammates for nine seasons with the Calgary Flames before Gaudreau joined the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022. Monahan then joined the Blue Jackets this past offseason, but their reunion in Columbus did not happen.
Monahan specifically mentioned the hug they shared after Gaudreau scored an overtime winner, calling it a moment he'll always cherish and look back on:
"I mean, that hug after he scored that overtime goal is definitely one that I’ll always look back on, able to have footage of it too," Monahan said via NHL.com. "We had so many great memories here together, a lot of years, a lot of big wins, big nights, we had a lot of fun playing together."
Monahan admitted the past three months have been difficult without his best friend and longtime teammate.
"One step at a time, I guess. Being here, obviously, it’s hard, but playing hockey and being on the team he was supposed to be on, and being able to be around his kids, his wife, you feel his presence every day," he added.
Now wearing No. 13 to honor Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan is determined to carry on his legacy.
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