Johnny Gaudreau’s Columbus teammates have been given a few options for how to handle their emotions during the Blue Jackets’ home opener.
If you want to cry, cry.
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Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues players stand for a moment of silence for Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The number, 13, worn by former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau, is displayed during a memorial ceremony prior to an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
The number, 13, worn by former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau, is displayed during a memorial ceremony prior to an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger, left, and Minnesota Wild center Frederick Gaudreau, center, follow the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Seattle Kraken players stand for a moment of silence for Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) stands on a No. 13 on the ice honoring former Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
If you want to laugh, laugh.
The only rules — play the game the way “Johnny Hockey” would, and with him in mind.
An emotional night awaits in Columbus on Tuesday, when the Blue Jackets host the Florida Panthers. It will be a night of tributes to Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets’ star who would have been entering his third season with the club and 11th NHL season overall, and his brother Matthew Gaudreau. They were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding their bicycles on a rural road in New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.
“It’s such an unprecedented thing and something that obviously none of us wanted to go through, and nobody ever wants to go through it,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said Monday as final preparations for the celebration of the Gaudreaus were being made. “But we have to.”
The 31-year-old Gaudreau wore jersey No. 13 for the Blue Jackets. Matthew Gaudreau — who was 29 and played five pro seasons in the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League and in Sweden — wore jersey No. 21. All 32 NHL teams are wearing decals on their helmets with 13, 21 and the letter G on their helmets through Oct. 24. USA Hockey has a similar tribute for its teams at all levels this year.
On Tuesday, the “13” tributes will be almost everywhere. Both the Blue Jackets and Panthers will take the ice for warmups wearing jerseys bearing the name Gaudreau and jersey number 13; those sweaters will be auctioned and raffled off to benefit the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation. There’s “13” on the ice behind the goals. All fans in attendance will receive a “13” patch, the ones Blue Jackets players will be wearing on their jerseys this season.
And they say the game starts at 7 p.m., but really, puck drop is at 7:13.
“Whatever they need,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Monday. “Whatever the fans need, whatever the team needs to start that healing process, we’d be proud to be a part of it.”
Gaudreau — all of 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds — was a star at Boston College before making it to the NHL, his debut coming in Calgary’s finale for the 2013-14 season. His first goal came on his first shot in his first game, and his star only kept shining brighter from there.
The player who fished the puck out of the net after Gaudreau’s first goal was Sean Monahan, his teammate then in Calgary and his teammate now in Columbus.
“I saw it firsthand. He had an impact on so many people,” Monahan said. “I mean, players that played against him are a fan of his and watch him and study his game and try and be like him.”
Monahan likely never aspired to be a donkey. Going forward, the Blue Jackets will clamor to be called one.
Johnny Gaudreau used that term — “donkey” — freely and endearingly around friends and teammates. The Blue Jackets have had a celebration for about a decade where the player of the game gets to wear a Civil War-style kepi hat, the recipient selected by the previous player recipient. The kepi is retired. The player of the game now gets a donkey hat. Monahan was the first to receive it.
“I’m really happy that we’ve kind of switched it up,” Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “I think it’s fitting for us. It was a great idea. And, you know, we wish the little guy was still here calling us that, But Monny is the right guy to get that the first time, for sure.”
Guy Gaudreau, the late brothers' father and a longtime coach, was on the ice with the Blue Jackets for practice in Columbus on Monday and planned to be back for morning skate on Tuesday. Members of the family will be at the game. The tributes will not stop with this game. They'll keep going, one way or another, for years to come.
“There's going to be some tough moments, no doubt about it,” Gudbranson said. “We still miss him.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues players stand for a moment of silence for Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The number, 13, worn by former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau, is displayed during a memorial ceremony prior to an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
The number, 13, worn by former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau, is displayed during a memorial ceremony prior to an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger, left, and Minnesota Wild center Frederick Gaudreau, center, follow the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Seattle Kraken players stand for a moment of silence for Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) stands on a No. 13 on the ice honoring former Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns to finish with a perfect passer rating, Derrick Henry surpassed a few more rushing milestones, and the Baltimore Ravens had little difficulty with Denver’s defense in a 41-10 victory Sunday.
Baltimore’s beleaguered defense didn’t force a punt until the third quarter, but a couple early fourth-down stops helped the Ravens (6-3) build a lead as they rebounded from last weekend’s surprising loss at Cleveland. Zay Flowers had five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and Henry rushed for 107 yards and two TDs.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix caught a touchdown pass on a trick play for Denver, but the Broncos (5-4) looked outclassed at the beginning of a tough two-game stretch on their schedule. They visit Kansas City next weekend.
Henry scored the 100th and 101st rushing touchdowns of his career, and he surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground on the season for the sixth time. Henry has scored in every game this season, and he is the third player to manage at least 10 rushing TDs in seven consecutive years, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (2001-09) and Adrian Peterson (2007-13).
FALCONS 27, COWBOYS 21
ATLANTA (AP) — Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes and Atlanta maintained their hold on first place in the NFC South with a victory over struggling Dallas, who took their third straight setback and lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a hamstring injury.
Cousins completed 19 of 24 passes for 222 yards, including 13 in a row at one point for the Falcons (6-3). He had scoring plays of 9 yards to Drake London, 36 yards to Darnell Mooney and 11 yards to Ray-Ray McCloud, the third three-TD game of the quarterback’s debut season with Atlanta.
Tyler Allgeier capped the Falcons’ fifth win in six games by powering into the end zone from 6 yards with just over 11 minutes remaining.
The Cowboys (3-5) tried to rally behind Cooper Rush after Prescott was ruled out, having completed 18 of 24 for 133 yards and a touchdown.
CHARGERS 27, BROWNS 10
CLEVELAND (AP) — Justin Herbert passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns — all in the first half — to lead Los Angeles to a victory over Cleveland, who couldn’t get anything going with Jameis Winston.
Herbert connected on a 66-yard TD pass to Quentin Johnston and a 27-yarder to Joshua Palmer as the Chargers (5-3) built a big halftime lead and rolled to their fifth straight win over Cleveland.
Herbert finished 18 of 27 for 282 yards and was sacked six times.
J.K. Dobbins had two rushing touchdowns for Los Angeles.
The Chargers’ defense, which came in allowing a league-low 13 points per game, intercepted Winston three times, sacked him six more and limited the Browns (2-7) to just 57 yards in the first 30 minutes.
COMMANDERS 27, GIANTS 22
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Sensational rookie Jayden Daniels threw two touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin, and Washington beat bumbling New York for their best start to a season in almost 30 years.
Daniels hit McLaurin on scoring passes of 1 and 18 yards in the first half, and Austin Ekeler, filling in for the injured Brian Robinson, scored on a 1-yard run as the Commanders completed a season sweep of the NFC East rival Giants (2-7). Washington is 7-2 for the first time since 1996.
Austin Seibert, who kicked seven field goals in the Commanders’ 21-18 win in September, added two more, and linebacker Dante Fowler had a big strip-sack early to set up the opening touchdown. The Giants have lost four straight and fell to 0-5 at home.
Daniel Jones threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Manhertz and powered his way through two tackles on a 2-yard fourth-quarter TD run for New York. He added a late 35-yard TD pass to rookie Theo Johnson, but the Giants missed both 2-point conversions. Jude McAtamney kicked a 31-yard field goal in the Irishman’s NFL debut.
BENGALS 41, RAIDERS 24
CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow tied a career high with five touchdown passes, Chase Brown rushed for a career-high 120 yards and Cincinnati got their first home win after routing Las Vegas.
Burrow was 27 for 39 for 251 yards. He threw touchdown passes to Brown, Andrei Iosivas, Drew Sample and the last two to Mike Gesicki. But he also had an interception that was returned by Jack Jones for a TD early in the fourth quarter.
Brown, who got a season-high 27 carries with Zack Moss sidelined with a neck injury, consistently picked up chunks of yards for the Bengals, who have struggled running the ball this season.
The Raiders (2-7) aided Cincinnati drives with penalties, and quarterback Gardner Minshew fumbled the ball away in the third, leading to a 10-yard TD catch by Gesicki, his first since last Christmas Eve when he played for the Patriots. That put the Bengals up 31-10.
PANTHERS 23, SAINTS 22
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chuba Hubbard scored on a 16-yard run with 2:18 left and Carolina snapped a five-game losing streak, beating New Orleans.
Bryce Young completed 16 of 26 passes for 171 yards a touchdown to improve to 1-3 against the Saints in his career. Coach Dave Canales would not say after the game if Young would start next Sunday against the New York Giants in Munich.
Hubbard ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers (2-7) got big games from a pair of rookies as tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders caught four passes for 87 yards and wide receiver Xavier Legette had his fourth touchdown of the season to avenge an embarrassing 47-10 Week 1 loss to their division foes.
BILLS 30, DOLPHINS 27
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Tyler Bass kicked a career-best 61-yard field goal with 5 seconds left, Josh Allen threw three second-half touchdown passes in a back-and-forth duel with Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, and Buffalo continued their domination of the Dolphins with a victory.
The teams traded leads four times in a thrilling second half that included seven consecutive scoring drives — four by AFC East-leading Buffalo (7-2) and three by division rival Miami (2-6).
Buffalo’s final drive stalled at the Miami 43 following a spike and two incompletions, and coach Sean McDermott put his faith in the inconsistent Bass, who missed an extra point earlier in the game. Bass not only split the uprights, but had enough length to reach the first row of fans in the end zone. It was the longest field goal in franchise history.
The Bills are 7-2 for the first time since 2020 and moved four games ahead of the New York Jets in the AFC East, which they have won the past four seasons. Buffalo swept its season series against Miami and has beaten Miami six straight times and 13 of 14, including playoffs. The Dolphins have also lost nine straight trips to Buffalo, a skid that dates to Dec. 24, 2016.
TITANS 20, PATRIOTS 17, OT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nick Folk kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:32 left in overtime and Tennessee beat New England, giving coach Brian Callahan his first victory at home this season.
The Titans (2-6) snapped both a three-game skid overall and at Nissan Stadium.
The Patriots (2-7) got rookie Drake Maye back after the third overall pick out of North Carolina cleared the concussion protocol Saturday. He started after being knocked out of last week’s win over the Jets and used his legs, running for a career-best and team-high 95 yards.
New England had a final chance after Maye forced overtime with a 5-yard TD pass to Rhamondre Stevenson. But Amani Hooker’s second interception of the game clinched the victory for the Titans with 2:07 left.
CARDINALS 29, BEARS 9
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Emari Demercado ran 53 yards for a touchdown just before halftime, James Conner added 107 yards on the ground and surging Arizona put together a dominant victory over Chicago.
The Cardinals (5-4) have won three in a row for the first time in three seasons.
It’s another tough loss for the Bears (4-4), who have dropped two straight. They lost to the Commanders 18-15 last week on a Hail Mary and were burned once again as the clock was winding down against the Cardinals, though this lapse came in the final seconds of the first half.
Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked six times, completing 22 of 41 passes for 216 yards. The Bears had just 241 yards total.
EAGLES 28, JAGUARS 23
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley made a dazzling backward hurdle during a stellar performance and Nakobe Dean had a game-saving interception to help Philadelphia to their fourth straight win over Jacksonville.
Barkley had 27 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown. He also had three receptions for 40 yards and a TD.
The Eagles (6-2) held on after coach Nick Sirianni wasted chances to put easy points on the board. The Eagles went 0 for 2 on fourth down and were 0 for 3 on 2-point conversions, forcing them to let Jake Elliott try a 57-yard field goal with 2:16 left.
Elliott missed, giving the Jaguars (2-7) the ball at their own 47-yard line.
But Jacksonville’s second-half rally ended when Trevor Lawrence’s terrible pass was picked off in the end zone by Dean for the linebacker’s first career interception.
LIONS 24, PACKERS 14
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Kerby Joseph scored on a 27-yard interception return and Detroit converted two fourth downs into touchdowns as they continued one of the best starts in franchise history by beating Green Bay.
The NFC North-leading Lions are 7-1 for the first time since 1956. They withstood the second-quarter ejection of safety Brian Banks and won at Lambeau Field for a third straight year, thriving on a rainy and windy day.
Detroit took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter when Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Jahmyr Gibbs capped the opening drive of the second half by rushing for a 15-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 to extend the Lions’ lead to 24-3.
Goff had another efficient day, finishing 18 of 22 for 145 yards.
RAMS 26, SEAHAWKS 20, OT
SEATTLE (AP) — Demarcus Robinson made a one-handed, 39-yard touchdown reception in overtime, and Los Angeles stunned Seattle.
With the Rams needing only a field goal after stuffing the Seahawks on fourth down on the first possession of OT, Matthew Stafford went for the win by throwing a deep ball to Robinson, who was well covered by cornerback Riq Woolen. With his one free hand, Robinson grabbed the ball in the end zone and secured it as he fell to the turf.
Stafford threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams (4-4), who have won three straight after losing four of their previous five. Robinson finished with six catches for 94 yards and both scores.
Geno Smith threw for 363 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions for the Seahawks (4-5), who have lost four straight at home and five of six overall to fall into last place in the bunched-up NFC West. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had seven catches for a career-best 180 yards and two scores.
VIKINGS 21, COLTS 13
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold overcame four sacks and three turnovers by throwing three second-half touchdown passes, and Minnesota defense made Indianapolis quarterback Joe Flacco’s return to the starting role a rough one as the Vikings beat the Colts.
Justin Jefferson had 137 receiving yards, Jordan Addison made a one-handed diving grab in the back corner of the end zone to get Minnesota on the board after a sloppy and scoreless first half, and Jalen Nailor had the tiebreaking touchdown reception to help the Vikings (6-2) stop a two-game skid.
Kenny Moore II had a 38-yard fumble return in the second quarter, the only touchdown for the Colts (4-5) in their first game all season that wasn’t decided by six points or fewer.
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers runs for a touchdown after catching a pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)