There’s a new banner in the rafters at Nationwide Arena.
During a pregame ceremony honoring the life of Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed Aug. 29 along with his brother Matthew, the Columbus Blue Jackets hoisted a white banner bearing his No. 13, while his widow, Meredith and young kids, Noa and Johnny, watched on the ice.
They stood next to Sean Monahan, one of Gaudreau’s best friends and a center who signed with the Blue Jackets on July 1 partly to reunite with Gaudreau. They played with in Calgary for almost a decade, and planned to live a few houses away from each other in Columbus. Monahan held one of the kids, while Meredith had the other, wiping away tears as the banner lifted into place.
The ceremony was preceded by a touching video of Gaudreau’s life and career on the screens above the ice, and Meredith Gaudreau provided a recorded message to fans — known in Columbus as The 5th Line ― after the ceremony, urging them to cheer for the Blue Jackets rather than be filled with grief.
“I don’t want anyone to be sad,” she said. “I want everyone to be inspired by the life that John lived. That is love your family, first and foremost, and when it’s time to drop the puck, let’s love the game that John loved.”
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More members of Gaudreau’s family, including parents Guy and Jane, plus members of Meredith’s family watched from a private box, which was shown prior to the banner raising. Both teams, after wearing No. 13 jerseys in warmups on each side of the ice, lined a blue carpet for Meredith and the Gaudreau children to walk.
On their way back to the bench, they received hugs from players on both teams, along with the clacking of sticks tapping the ice in salute. The Blue Jackets players also honored Gaudreau by taking the opening faceoff without a left wing, where he’d played on the top line.
The puck from that draw was scooped up and sent to the Jackets’ bench for safekeeping, as a second opening draw with two full teams started the game. A couple of times, a smattering of “Johnny Hockey!” chants broke out, but a somber feeling hung in in the building as the game began, steadily lifting as play continued.
