Meredith Gaudreau, wife of Johnny Gaudreau, thanked the city of Calgary and the Flames for the memorial outside of the Saddledome honouring her late husband.
Gaudreau made an Instagram story post on Monday expressing gratitude to the city and Calgary Flames fans.
“Thank you Calgary,” Gaudreau said in the post. “This is amazing. But I’m not surprised. The best people ever.”
Fans laid flowers an other items at the steps of the arena’s entrance and shared sentiments on the pavement using chalk, with a large No. 13 in the centre, Johnny Gaudreau’s number for the majority of his career.
Gaudreau, often referred to as “Johnny Hockey” by fans, was drafted by the Flames in 2011 and spent eight full seasons in Calgary before signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022 off-season.
Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed on Thursday while cycling on a road when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind. They were pronounced dead on the scene.
On Friday, the Flames first paid tribute to Gaudreau with a video on the Saddledome video screen of a shot of him in a Flames uniform with the words: “In loving memory,” his name and “1993-2024.”
In Columbus, the Blue Jackets paid tribute to Johnny outside Nationwide Arena with a video board with the words: “In loving memory. Johnny Gaudreau.”
As in Calgary, people dropped off flowers near the sign. A hockey stick also was dropped off.
The main mural outside the arena features a photo of Gaudreau with his teammates.
