Florida Panthers
Johnny Gaudreau Tribute Jerseys Up for Auction by Florida Panthers
The special warmup jerseys worn by the Florida Panthers as a tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau on Oct. 15 in Columbus are now available through an online auction for charity.
Johnny, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, died Aug. 29 when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver who has been charged with two counts of death by auto, while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey.
Both the Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets wore No. 13 jerseys with Gaudreau on the back during warmups before their game earlier this month.
The Panthers jerseys, which are autographed by the players who wore them, are available for bid HERE.
The online auction for the special Gaudreau jerseys ends Friday at noon.
The Blue Jackets announced they raised over $250,000 for the Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation through their auction of warmup jerseys, other Gaudreau memorabilia, and the 50/50 raffle from their home-opener against the Panthers.
The Panthers are also donating the money raised from the auction to the Gaudreau foundation.
Gaudreau was honored by the Blue Jackets with an emotional 13-minute pregame ceremony which featured personal videos, an introduction of his family, and the raising of a banner with Gaudreau’s No. 13 on it.
Although Gaudreau’s No. 13 is not formally retired by the Blue Jackets, the team has said it has no plans to ever issue it to another player.
When the game started, and the puck was dropped, The Blue Jackets lined up one player short on the ice — they went without a left wing, the spot Gaudreau would have occupied.
Both teams let 13 seconds run off the clock in silence.
Sean Monahan, who played with Gaudreau in Calgary, took the opening faceoff and sent the puck to Sam Bennett.
“It’s a tough night,” said Bennett, a former teammate of Gaudreau’s in Calgary. “What their family’s gone through, it’s unthinkable.”
As of Thursday afternoon, Matthew Tkachuk’s warmup jersey is the most expensive, with the bidding close to $1,100.
Tkachuk was not in Columbus for the game as he had flown back to South Florida due to what was thought to be an upper-respiratory illness.
He and Gaudreau were teammates for six seasons in Calgary, with Tkachuk saying before the season started that he would never forget his good friend.
“It has been a terrible time. It really has. It is the saddest thing I have ever seen or heard. I was able to go to the service which just breaks your heart,’’ Tkachuk said.
“Johnny is one of my favorite teammates I ever played with. But he was more than a teammate to me: He’s such a great friend. It doesn’t matter if you knew them, or played against them, or even if you have a sibling, everyone can relate to this. It has been terrible. You’ll always carry something around, he will always be with me.
“He is the most offensively talented player I have ever seen. It was such an honor to play with him. You guys all saw what he did on the ice. I was the lucky one in this room who had a great relationship with him off of the ice. Those are the memories I will take, but it has been terrible. It really has been.”
ON DECK: GAME 12
NHL GLOBAL SERIES AT TAMPERE, FINLAND
FLORIDA PANTHERS V. DALLAS STARS
- When: Friday, 1 p.m. EDT
- Where: Nokia Arena; Tampere, Finland
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WPTV 5/WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
- National TV: NHLN
- Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- Last Season: Florida won 2-0
- This Season — At Tampere, Finland: Friday, Saturday.
- All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 26-21-2, 3 ties
- Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Dallas Stars, 11 a.m. EDT