Canadian team under fire for removing all traces of Johnny Gaudreau tributes

In a surprising turn of events, the Montreal Canadiens have decided to remove the tribute to Johnny Gaudreau that had recently been displayed around the Bell Centre. The staff, specifically those working at the arena, are said to be throwing away the Gaudreau tribute items, recently been put in place to honor the NHL star by the hockey community.

Following last week’s tragedy in which both Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew lost their lives after being hit by a drunk driver while riding their bikes, fans across the nation paid respect by remembering them. Flowers, jerseys, and cute items like Johnny’s favourite Gatorade were placed at Nationwide Arena in Columbus and at the Saddledome in Calgary, turning into places of gathering and reflection.

Fans in Montreal also wanted to support the Gaudreaus, just like star forward Cole Caufield did on Tuesday night by changing his number 22 to Johnny’s 13, but removals happened on several occasions over the weekend.

The removal of the touching tributes have caused a stir since, while Johnny Gaudreau was being honoured without never having played for the Habs, but fans cannot imagine that would have motivated the franchise to get rid of the displays.

There seems to be a major lack of communication in this situation, which is not helping this heartbreaking event that unfortunately kicks off the 2024-25 season. Fans want to know why the Canadiens are deciding to treat Johnny Gaudreau this way…

A lot of questions have been raised about the Habs’ motivations with fans wondering if it was only intended as a temporary installation or if negative feedback prompted the franchise to initiate the removal and maintain the focus on their own storied history.

Some fans expressed disappointment, believing that the tribute was a classy acknowledgment of a great player and I can only agree with them. It remains to be seen if more tributes for Johnny and his brother Matthew will be installed near the Bell Center and how the Canadiens deal with it.