Looking back at Johnny Gaudreau's special night against the Tampa Bay Lightning

On Thursday, a devastating tragedy left the entire hockey community in deep sorrow and mourning. NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew Gaudreau were killed by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on Thursday night in New Jersey. The brothers were preparing to celebrate their sister Katie's wedding the next day, adding a layer of unimaginable devastation to the loss of two young men.

Johnny Gaudreau, often referred to as “Johnny Hockey”, was best known for his time in Calgary, where he was drafted as the 104th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL draft. He played the first nine seasons of his professional career with the Calgary Flames, scoring 230 goals and 609 points in 602 regular season games, before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets in July of 2022. 

Gaudreau’s final season with the Flames was extremely special for both himself and the fanbase. He finished the regular season with a career-high in both goals and points, scoring 40 goals and 115 points, while also having an unbelievable plus/minus rating of +64, placing him within the top 50 all time for this stat (#45). And his linemates, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, also scored 40+ goals and finished the season with 82 and 104 points respectively, as well as making the top 100 all time list for plus/minus.

Having a trio of forwards that play together and all score 40+ goals is extremely rare and showcases an offensive balance that’s seldom seen in any team sport. Paired with the fact that all three players placed in the top 100 list for plus/minus rating, made for one of the greatest overall performances by a forward unit in NHL history.

That season, one of Johnny's most incredible games came against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 10, 2022

Heading into this game, both the Flames and Lightning had win rates of over 61%, so you knew it was going to be a great game, as two of the leagues best teams faced off inside the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Unfortunately for us Lightning fans, this game didn't go as we had hoped it would. Seven and a half minutes into the first period the game was tied, until Gaudreau broke the deadlock with a nifty power play goal. He capitalized on a loose rebound behind the net by bouncing the puck off of Andrei Vasilevskiy's back. 

His next goal came with one minute remaining in the second period and looked almost identical to the first, except it came at even strength. Gaudreau completed the hat trick in the third period by yet again taking advantage of the lack of coverage behind the net. However, this time, Elias Lindholm was the one behind the net, setting up Gaudreau with a perfect pass, which he rocketed past Vasilevskiy's glove. One comment online said that instead of going for the hat trick he should have tried to become the first player to score an NHL “back trick”.

Johnny Gaudreau’s smaller size and dynamic skating ability made him a player that everyone wanted to cheer for. His appeal to fans was further amplified by his warm-hearted nature and that contagious smile that seemed to be his natural expression. Despite not being the most physically imposing player, Johnny’s success in the NHL was an inspiration to millions of fans around the world.

Tributes and touching stories from friends, former teammates and fans haven’t stopped pouring in since the tragic news broke, showcasing how powerful his impact was on the communities he played in. A post by TSN shows photos shared on social media by some of NHL’s youngest and brightest stars like Cole Caufield and Trevor Zegras to honour Johnny. As time goes on, I’m sure we’ll see many more young players in the NHL crediting him for inspiring them to beat the odds and chase their dreams.

Condolences to friends, family, and all who knew Johnny and Matthew.