Emotional video of Meredith Gaudreau and her kids checking out Johnny’s memorial

On Tuesday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets honoured the Gaudreau brothers, and raised a banner for Johnny Gaudreau ahead of their home opener against the Florida Panthers. Every player on both teams wore Gaudreau jerseys during the pregame warmups and the Blue Jackets put together a memorial inside Nationwide Arena.

Shortly before puck drop, the Jackets shared a touching video tribute to Johnny and a recorded message of his wife Meredith encouraging fans not to be sad but to instead be inspired by her late husband’s life was shown. When the team lifted a banner to the rafters, Meredith was there with her and Johnny’s two kids along with his best friend and who would have been his teammate Sean Monahan.

When taking the opening faceoff, Columbus did it with only four players on the ice, leaving the left wing - Gaudreau’s old position - vacant. Both teams then let 13 seconds elapse in further tribute with the crowd chanting “Johnny Hockey.”

If that was not moving enough, footage of Meredith and her two kids emerged when they visited, along with Johnny and Matthew’s father Guy, the memorial inside Nationwide Arena. The video shows Meredith showing her two-year old daughter Noa pictures of her father and kissing the frame. The video was put online by @sarah____kent:

My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the Gaudreau family, and Meredith especially, who showed amazing strength in honouring her husband at the Jackets’ home opener. She is standing strong for her family and I can only imagine Johnny smiling from up above.

Johnny and his younger brother Matthew tragically died when they were stuck and killed by a drunk driver while riding bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on August 29, on the eve of their sister’s wedding, where both brothers were to be groomsmen. Johnny was 31 years old at the time of his death, while Matthew was 29. Meredith Gaudreau is pregnant with the couple’s third child as the couple shared daughter Noa and son Johnny. Matthew Gaudreau’s wife, Madeline, is also expecting a child, the couple’s first, a son due in December, who will be named Tripp.