Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew shone on and off the ice

NHL

Receiving a nickname in hockey will not be only an indication of affection, but additionally a sense that a player has really made it. Wayne Gretzky became “The Great One,” Mario Lemieux was “Super Mario,” and the late Gordie Howe stays “Mr. Hockey” to players and fans of the game in every single place.

“Johnny Hockey” was the title bestowed on Johnny Gaudreau, and it stuck with the talented, popular player wherever he went. It was a reminder of his skill and selflessness on and off the ice, and it was all of the more painful as news spread that the 31-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets star died Thursday night along together with his younger brother Matthew once they were struck by a suspected drunk driver near their parents' home in Philadelphia on the eve of their sister's wedding.

Gaudreau never got the possibility to have a full NHL profession like Gretzky, Lemieux or Howe, and yet everyone in the game knew who he was: a child from Carneys Point, New Jersey, who thrived despite being well under 6 feet tall, a pioneer of sorts for players who made up for his or her small size with skill, speed and energy.

The brothers grew up playing hockey, playing for the Little Flyers and even spent a 12 months together as teammates at Boston College within the 2013-14 season. It was the season that Johnny Gaudreau won the Hobey Baker Award as the very best NCAA player within the country, and his brother was there to share in it.

“Both Matty and Johnny were incredibly admired by all of us: wonderful young guys, and they impressed many of us off the ice,” recalls Jerry York, who coached them at BC.

Johnny, the eldest Gaudreau brother, was chosen within the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft by Calgary. His boyhood team, the Philadelphia Flyers, were interested, but only within the later rounds because he was about 5'7″ tall on the time.

Flames chief scout Tod Button had no trouble convincing then-general manager Jay Feaster of Gaudreau. Feaster knew all about undersized players, having managed the Tampa Bay Lightning once they won the Stanley Cup with the dynamic – and diminutive – Martin St. Louis as one in every of their best players.

“Tod and his team had seen him play a lot and he just felt like he was a special player: his hands, his vision and his hockey sense,” Feaster said Friday. “Even though he's a little guy, he was convinced he could play. … I said, 'I believe in you. If you believe in him that much, then let's do it because I know little guys can play in the game.'”

Feaster and his assistant Craig Conroy visited Gaudreau and his family over the subsequent few summers on the Hollydell Ice Arena, which father Guy managed, to encourage Johnny to show pro. His mother Jane was concerned about her son's size on the NHL level and had many questions on the subsequent step.

As all the time, family got here first.

“When it turned out that his brother was also going to BC to play and they were going to play together, Craig and I knew we weren't going to kick him out early,” Feaster said.

After his college glory and a 12 months on campus together with his brother, Gaudreau broke into the league at 5'9″ and under 180 kilos. He was named to the All-Rookie team in his freshman season and made seven All-Star Weekend appearances with the Flames and Blue Jackets over a decade.

Over time, he became Johnny Hockey to a much larger fan base than simply the Boston College faithful.

“There are few players in hockey history that matched his passion and love for the game,” said longtime manager Brian Burke, who knew Gaudreau from his time coaching the Flames and the U.S. men's national team. “His talent on the ice was enhanced, not diminished, by the fact that he was out there having fun.”

Gaudreau was a player who scored a degree in almost every game, scoring 776 points in 805 regular season and playoff games. His 743 regular season points rank in the highest 30 amongst all U.S.-born players. Gaudreau also holds the boys's World Cup record as a U.S. player with 30 assists and 43 points.

Two years ago, Gaudreau left Calgary to sign a seven-year contract with the Blue Jackets value nearly $69 million, bringing him and his young family to Ohio, closer to their home in New Jersey.

Burke remembered something else about his former player: his willingness to transcend the sport.

“First and foremost, Johnny was always the first to raise his hand to give back to his community. When we asked for charitable contributions, we always knew he would say yes without hesitation,” he said. “His love for his family, friends and alma mater was always evident and was clearly the driving force in his life.”

Family members all the time called him John, with the nickname “Johnny Hockey” dating back to his time at BC. They only trademarked it in order that they had a say in the way it was used.

“We're never going to make a penny off of it,” Guy Gaudreau told the South Jersey Courier-Post in 2015. “We don't want to make a penny off of it. We just don't want it to be abused. If it gets to the point where 'Johnny Hockey' becomes really popular, like when cancer patients want to raise money, we'll let them raise as many money as they want with it and they can have all the money.”

In the identical interview, before Gloucester Catholic High School removed Gaudreau's number, Guy said his son “just wanted to play hockey. If Calgary told him, 'We're not paying you anything this year,' he would say, 'Can I still play hockey?'”

He and his brother took different paths in the game they loved. Johnny became an NHL star and Matthew played within the minor leagues and for a time in Sweden before retiring two years ago to work as a boys' hockey coach at Gloucester Catholic. This week they were together again to rejoice their sister Katie's wedding. Matthew, 29, and his wife were reportedly expecting their first child.

Hours after the tragedy, Feaster's thoughts weren’t focused on Gaudreau's great profession, but on the premature lack of his two sons, husbands and fathers.

“For me, it's not about hockey,” Feaster said. “It's about family. It's about his mom and dad and his sisters and his kids, his wife. That's the hard part. It's not about hockey. It's about the people.”