Johnny Gaudreau

John Michael Gaudreau (August 13, 1993 – August 29, 2024) was an American professional ice hockey player. A winger, he played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey for the Boston College Eagles in NCAA Division I for three seasons beginning in 2011 and was selected in the fourth round, 104th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2011 NHL entry draft. Nicknamed "Johnny Hockey", he was named the 2014 recipient of the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in the NCAA and, during his first full NHL season in 2014–15, was selected to play in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, as well as being named to the annual NHL All-Rookie team. Gaudreau was a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist for the NHL's best rookie and won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player for the 2016–17 season. In 2022, Gaudreau signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he spent his last two seasons. Gaudreau was noted as helping to grow opportunities for smaller hockey players; despite measuring in at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), he was a seven-time NHL All-Star and finished fourth in Hart Memorial Trophy voting twice.

Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a drunk driver while cycling on August 29, 2024, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.

Early life

Gaudreau was born on August 13, 1993, in Salem, New Jersey, to Guy Gaudreau, a former soccer player, college hockey player, and high school coach from Beebe Plain, Vermont, and Jane Gaudreau. He had two sisters and a younger brother, Matthew, who played hockey for the Worcester Railers and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the ECHL and AHL, respectively.

Gaudreau grew up in Carneys Point Township, New Jersey. As a child, he played little league baseball in the Penns Grove Little League, where he was teammates with future Boston Red Sox pitcher Mike Shawaryn, and participated in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Hershey, Pennsylvania. He initially attended Gloucester Catholic High School in Gloucester City, New Jersey, but later graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in Dubuque, Iowa while playing for the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Playing career

USHL (2010–2011)

Gaudreau played the 2010–11 season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he played in the 2011 USHL All-Star Game and helped his team win the Clark Cup as the USHL champions. He ultimately finished second in the league in goals, with 36, and fourth in points, with 72. Gaudreau's outstanding play was rewarded with selections to the USHL All-Rookie Team and the All-USHL Second Team, as well as the USHL Rookie of the Year award.

Gaudreau was selected in the 4th round, 104th overall, in the 2011 NHL entry draft by the Calgary Flames. Listed at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and 137 lb (62 kg), Gaudreau was the lightest player selected at the draft, and tied with Rocco Grimaldi for the shortest player selected.

NCAA (2011–2014)

After attending the Calgary Flames training camp ahead of the 2011–12 season, Gaudreau started his career in the NCAA with the Division I Boston College Eagles team in the Hockey East conference. He originally signed a letter of intent to play with Hockey East rival Northeastern University, but opted for Boston College when Northeastern hockey head coach Greg Cronin resigned in June 2011 to take a position with the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs.

As a freshman at Boston College, Gaudreau scored 21 goals and 23 assists (44 points) in 44 games, leading all first-year students in scoring. He played an integral part in Boston College's win in the team's national championship, scoring a goal late in the third period in their 4–1 win in the final over Ferris State University. Gaudreau was awarded the Bill Flynn Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Hockey East Championship Tournament. He also helped the Eagles win the traditional Beanpot Tournament for the third year in a row and was named Beanpot MVP after the tournament.

In his sophomore campaign, Gaudreau emerged as the team's star and improved upon his statistics, achieving a 21–30–51 scoring line in 35 games, and leading the nation in points per game at 1.46. He then led the Eagles to a fourth consecutive Beanpot championship after helping to win a gold medal for the United States at the 2013 World Juniors. Despite Boston College's defeat by archrival Boston University in the Hockey East tournament semi-finals and loss to Union College in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Gaudreau was named Hockey East Player of the Year, as well as an American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) First Team All-American. On April 3, 2013, Gaudreau was named one of the three finalists for the 2013 Hobey Baker Award, awarded to the NCAA's top men's ice hockey player, along with Eric Hartzell and Drew LeBlanc. St. Cloud State's Drew LeBlanc eventually won the award.

Gaudreau remained at Boston College for his junior year despite rumors of him turning professional and joining the Calgary Flames. According to Gaudreau, one of the main reasons he stayed was to play with his younger brother Matthew, who joined Boston College's team in the fall. Gaudreau subsequently led the NCAA in every major scoring category, scoring 36 goals and 44 assists for 80 points in 40 games, a 2.00 point per game pace, the highest production by any player in the country since 2003. After a 5–4 Eagles loss to Holy Cross in November, Gaudreau was placed on a line with Bill Arnold and Kevin Hayes, which quickly became collegiate hockey's most offensively-potent line, producing 46 goals and 68 assists for 114 points as a trio. In addition, Gaudreau tied Paul Kariya's record for the Hockey East single-season scoring streak at 31 games, scoring 29 goals and 61 points during the span. For his season, he was named the league's Player of the Year for the second straight season, as well as the league's scoring champion with 36 points in 20 games, and was named a unanimous First-Team All-Star. He was also named a Hobey Baker top ten finalist on March 20, and a top three "Hobey Hat Trick" finalist for the second-straight year on April 2. Although the Eagles lost to Union College in the Frozen Four on April 11, Gaudreau was named the 2014 recipient of the Hobey Baker Award.

Professional

Calgary Flames (2014–2022)

Gaudreau entered the NHL on the day he received the Hobey Baker Award. On April 11, 2014, shortly after the ceremony, Gaudreau and Eagles teammate Bill Arnold signed entry-level contracts with the Calgary Flames, Arnold having been drafted by Calgary in 2010. Both made their NHL debut in the Flames' final game of the 2013–14 season against the Vancouver Canucks. Gaudreau scored the Flames' only goal on his first shot of his first professional game.

To begin the 2014–15 season, Gaudreau earned a spot on the Flames' roster to continue his NHL career. Starting off slowly, Gaudreau did not record a point until the year's sixth game. However, he heated up quickly, amassing 12 goals and 30 points through 37 games. He scored his first career NHL hat-trick against Jonathan Quick on December 22, 2014, in a 4–3 comeback win over the Los Angeles Kings, becoming the youngest Flames player to record a hat-trick since Joe Nieuwendyk in the 1987–88 season. Gaudreau was selected to play in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio, on January 25, 2015, and participated in the Skills Competition, garnering attention with Jakub Voráček for their antics during the shootout challenge. The shootout move, which imitated the previous move performed by Ryan Johansen (who helped seven-year-old Cole Vogt, the son of Columbus Blue Jackets trainer Mike Vogt, score a goal on Corey Crawford) went viral. Voráček, who went immediately after Johansen, "helped" Gaudreau score a goal in the same manner as Johansen did with Vogt, making fun of Gaudreau's size and youth, as his small stature in comparison to other NHLers led some to believe that he looked like a child.

Gaudreau was originally named to the All-Star Skills Competition Rookie Team, limited to only the competition portion, but was promoted to the All-Star Game itself as a replacement to Pittsburgh Penguins forward and captain Sidney Crosby, who could not play due to injury. Gaudreau was named to Team Toews and recorded two assists in the game, both on goals scored by the Nashville Predators' Filip Forsberg. On March 11, 2015, Gaudreau scored his 50th point of the season, becoming the first Flames rookie to reach the mark since Jarome Iginla in 1996–97. Gaudreau finished the season tied for the rookie scoring lead with Mark Stone of the Ottawa Senators. Gaudreau had 24 goals and led all rookies with 40 assists, while Stone had 26 goals. He was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best rookie, but the award went to Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, with Gaudreau finishing third. He was named to the NHL's All-Rookie team for the 2014–15 season.