Flames re-establish winning ways at home in emotional Gaudreau tribute game

An emotional and symbolic game now behind them on the NHL calendar, the Calgary Flames are looking to continue the kind of play at the Saddledome that once had them flirting with the division lead.

Calgary shut out the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 on Tuesday in a game that started with a moving tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau, who died along with brother Matthew when they were struck by a vehicle on Aug. 29 while biked in New Jersey.

Gaudreau was often an electric player for the Flames for eight seasons. He represented Calgary in six all-star games before signing with the Blue Jackets in 2022. Thousands of people gathered at the Saddledome on Sept. 4 for a candlelight vigil following the deaths of the Gaudreau brothers.

The Flames marked the loss of Gaudreau to both clubs and to his family by hosting his parents Guy and Jane, sisters Kristen and Kaitlyn, wife Meredith and children Noa and John at the Saddledome on Tuesday.

“We’re so happy to see the family and them here, but also sad,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund said. “Such a tragedy.”

Players on both teams wore the name Gaudreau and his No. 13 on their backs in the warm-up. They retreated from the blue line and looked up to a video montage of Gaudreau, with his family also on the ice, listening to the Saddledome song “Johnny.”

Backlund and Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan, both teammates of Gaudreau during his time as a Flame, shared a heartfelt hug after a ceremonial faceoff. Monahan, a close friend of Gaudreau, had signed with Columbus in the summer in anticipation of a reunion.

“I think about him a lot,” Backlund said. “For him to move to Columbus and be reunited with Johnny, they were so excited to get to play with each other. For Monny to have to go through that every day, it’s heartbreaking.”

Coaches and players on both teams predicted it would be an emotional night. After such a poignant prelude, it was a somewhat subdued start as players on both teams who knew Gaudreau struggled with their grief.

The three remaining Flames skaters, who were Gaudreau’s teammates, combined for Calgary’s first goal for a 1-0 lead midway through the second period.

Defenseman Rasmus Andersson one-timed a Mikael Backlund pass with Blake Coleman providing traffic in front of Columbus netminder Elvis Merzlikins.

Andersson pointed to the Gaudreau family in a Saddledome box after scoring.

“So many emotions go through your body and they know I love them and me and my family will always be here for them,” Andersson said.

“It was a great night, but at the same time it was boring. It was great to see them all here and see how loved he was and still is in the city.”

Dan Vladar was the Flames goaltender during Gaudreau’s final season in Calgary. He stopped 16 shots for the shutout.

“Lots of emotions,” Vladar said. “At that point you don’t really want to play hockey, but you remember Johnny, how he always wanted to play hockey with a smile on his face. This one is for him.”

After defenseman Kevin Bahl’s first goal as a Flame gave the hosts a 2-0 lead late in the third period, the Saddledome erupted in “Johnny Hockey” chants. Gaudreau was selected as the game’s first star. His father, Guy, flanked by Andersson and Backlund, stepped onto the ice to acknowledge it.

After 15 games in 30 days in November, and just one point out of a four-game road trip to end the month, the Flames were able to carry the emotional burden of the night and restore winning ways at the Saddledome, where their 10-3-0 record number three in the NHL.

“I’m proud of them. It’s a tough one,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska, who was an assistant coach during Gaudreau’s last four years in Calgary. “It was a very well done tribute, but I found it difficult and I’ve seen five times now.”

A four-game home winning streak in mid-November had the Flames hovering behind the Vegas Golden Knights atop the Pacific Division. The four-game slide that ended the month saw Calgary fall behind Los Angeles and Vancouver.

“It was a tough month. Our toughest of the year and we came out of it over .500 and in some tough situations,” Huska said.

“We would have liked to have a couple more wins from that road trip, but finding a way to bounce back from that is just something we have to continue to build on at home.”

Editor’s note: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly referred to Johnny Gaudreau’s father as Gus instead of Guy and listed Gaudreau as the third star instead of the first.