Johnny Gaudreau may have only stood at 5-foot-9, but he possessed the stature of a hockey player that was as dangerous as they come. Gaudreau, who was killed in a cycling accident on Thursday, left an indelible mark on the hockey world over the years, both on and off the ice.
Gaudreau racked up 743 points (243 goals & 500 assists) in 763 career NHL games after being selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft. His list of accolades is quite lengthy as he accomplished everything from winning the Hobey Baker Award to appearing in seven NHL All-Star Games to winning the Lady Byng Trophy for his sportsmanship.
“He will be remembered fondly in Calgary, where he played his first nine seasons with the Flames from 2013-14 to 2021-22, emerging as one of our League’s brightest young stars while compiling the franchise’s fifth-highest career points total,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “His loss also will be felt profoundly in Columbus, the city in which he chose to settle his family and where he was one of the respected, veteran leaders of a club building toward the playoffs.”
The talented winger began his hockey career starring at Gloucester Catholic High School in southern New Jersey. He tallied 51 goals and 57 assists in his final two seasons and led the school to a NJSIAA Non-Public Championship as a junior. Gaudreau was arguably the best player to ever come out of “The Garden State,” as he leads all New Jersey-born players with his 743 career points.
Following his high school career, Gaudreau played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League. He ended up helping them win the Clark Cup, which is awarded to the champion of the USHL. Gaudreau was made the USHL All-Rookie Team and won Rookie of the Year.
After his time with Dubuque, Gaudreau was selected by the Flames in the 2011 NHL Draft. Despite attending training camp with the Flames, he decided to attend Boston College with his brother, Matthew. Gaudreau enjoyed an immense amount of success at the collegiate level, and even won the Hobey Baker Award in 2014 as the top player in the nation.
His crowning moment came during the 2012 national championship when he led Boston College past Ferris State in a 4-1 triumph. Late in the third period, Gaudreau was able to secure the puck in his own zone, charged up ice, and deked his way towards the net. Gaudreau was able to find the back of the net with 3:02 to go and gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead at that time.
Just two years later, Gaudreau made his long-awaited NHL debut in the Flames’ final game of the regular season, and showcased his talent right off the bat. Gaudreau scored a tip-in goal in his first NHL game off assists from Joe Colbourne and Chris Breen, and showed that he was beaming with talent.
Gaudreau had so many heart-pounding moments during his 11-year NHL career. Perhaps one of the most impressive came during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Flames trailed the Dallas Stars 2-1 in an opening-round series when Gaudreau scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 to tie up the series. After the Stars and Flames traded Games 5 and 6, Gaudreau had arguably one of the biggest goals of his career. With Game 7 knotted at 2-2 late in the first overtime period, Gaudreau was able to deposit a side-angle rebound shot past Jake Oettinger to win the series for the Flames.
The series victory was Calgary’s first since the 2014-15 campaign.
Gaudreau had many spectacular seasons as he topped the 70-point mark on five different occasions. Still, the New Jersey native had a season for the ages in 2021-22 when he was tied for second in the league in points (115) with then-Florida Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau. That marked Gaudreau’s final season in Calgary as he left to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets in free agency that offseason.
During his final two professional seasons, Gaudreau compiled 134 points (33 goals & 101 assists) while playing for the Blue Jackets. The talented winger ended up registering 12 goals and 48 assists in 81 games in his final NHL season in 2023-24.
It’s no secret that Gaudreau was the type of player that can score from any area on the ice. Given his tremendous patience, his pinpoint accuracy was unmatched. It also didn’t hurt that Gaudreau possessed above-average speed that allowed him to get behind the defense a good amount of the time.
Gaudreau leaves behind a phenomenal legacy as one of the top American-born players that the sport has seen in recent years. He’ll be remembered for his eye-popping scoring ability, as well as his selfless personality off of the ice.
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