NHL: Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets - Source: Imagn — Meredith Gaudreau opened up about her daughter Noa's resemblance to Johnny (Source: IMAGN)

"When she smiles, I just see John"- Johnny Gaudreau's wife Meredith opens up about daughter Noa's resemblance to her father

Modified Dec 01, 2024 12:48 GMT

It was a major moment this weekend for the Gaudreau family as the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Calgary Flames in the first meeting between the two teams Johnny has played for. It was a special moment for the organizations as well, as they are part of the rich legacy left behind by 'Johnny Hockey',

Ahead of the game, several players paid their tributes to Gaudreau. There were interactions with the Gaudreau family as well, who spoke about what the former winger meant to them. In one such exclusive with Sportsnet ahead of Thanksgiving, Meredith Gaudreau opened up about their daughter Noa's resemblance to her father.

She was asked about how alike their daughter is to her late father. Meredith stated that with each passing day, Noa is resembling Johnny not only with her looks but also with her personality. She is also confident that Noa, her brother Johnny Edward, and the baby she is expecting will echo the former NHL player's virtues.

"Yes she is him more and more every day, even her personality just pops through, when she smiles, I just see John, so I love that. We talk about Daddy every single day. We see pictures and videos of him every single day, and they'll be good kids because they're John's and just really try every day to, like, make him proud," Meredith said.

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Meredith Gaudreau 'excited' to celebrate Johnny's life in Calgary

The Flames will have a chance to host their own Johnny Gaudreau tribute night against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Ahead of the reverse fixture, the Gaudreau family were extended invites. Meredith said that this would be the first time that Noa would be visiting the city where her father played for eight years.

Apart from the game, they will also take part in the activities that Johnny had planned for them.

"I’m excited to get to Calgary. I know John always wanted to get the kids out there, so I'm going to extend the trip and do everything that we love to do around the city. I'm excited for people in the organization to meet the kids and have the fans see the kids, because they are the biggest piece of John's legacy, and they just deserve that. They've been amazing. And we've so much love for the city. It's where it all started," Meredith added.

It has been tough getting around the fact, for the people in both organizations, that Johnny Gaudreau passed on in an unfortunate incident at the end of August. Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed by a drunk driver who ran them over with his truck while they were cycling in a New Jersey suburb, on the evening of their sister's wedding.