Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Matthew Tkachuk estimated that he tells a story about Johnny Gaudreau’s exploits, the on-ice and off-ice variety, to someone at least once a week.
And it’s not going to stop, either.
Tkachuk spoke Wednesday about the death of his longtime friend and former teammate, calling Gaudreau “the most offensively gifted player I’ve ever seen.” Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on August 29 when police say they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on a rural New Jersey road.
“It was such an honor to play with him,” Tkachuk said at Florida’s media day, the first formal event of the new season for the Panthers as they prepare to open their Stanley Cup defense. “And you all saw what he did on the ice. I was the lucky one out of everyone in this room to have a great relationship with him. So those are the memories I will take away.”
Gaudreau and Tkachuk were teammates in Calgary for six seasons. Tkachuk was traded to Florida in the summer of 2022, the offseason in which Gaudreau left the Flames to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed near their childhood home in South Jersey the night before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding. The driver who police say hit him has been charged with two counts of vehicular death, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
“It’s been terrible,” Tkachuk said. “It really has.”
The tributes to Gaudreau and his brother have been constant since their deaths and will not stop anytime soon. Tkachuk and the Panthers will face off in Columbus on Oct. 15 when the Blue Jackets play their first regular season home game since Gaudreau’s slaying, a game that is sure to be extremely emotional.
“Johnny is one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever played with. Such a great friend,” Tkachuk said. “It doesn’t matter if you knew them or played against them or even if you only have a brother or sister, everyone can relate to this. And it has been terrible. I’m always going to carry something around where it’s always with me.”
Tkachuk was one of many in the hockey world who attended the services for the Gaudreau brothers earlier this month. He said he had been constantly thinking about Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, their children who lost their father and the parents who lost their sons.
“I think everyone did an amazing job of telling stories and keeping him present, because that’s exactly what he would want is for us to smile about him and tell the fun stories about what he was as a player and all -a great player – and a better guy,” Tkachuk said. “My memory of him will go on forever.”
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://globalnews.ca/news/10762587/matthew-tkachuk-johnny-gaudreau-memory/
