Columbus and St Louis players united in 13 seconds of silence – referencing Gaudreau's jersey number – to honor the memory of Columbus star Johnny and his brother Matthew, who both died after being hit by a car during a bike ride at the end of August.
The driver suspected of hitting the brothers is accused of several crimes, including two counts of manslaughter and reckless driving.
Before tonight's preseason match, a memorial video was played on the jumbotron, and for the teammates, it was a tough day.
I think about him every day, of course. When I go to the arena, I often pick him up on the way. But it's not possible anymore. Today, I thought a lot about him. When you realize he's not here, it gets really tough, says Columbus forward Sean Kuraly.
From the preseason matches onwards, the Columbus players will wear the Gaudreau brothers' names on their helmets in the form of stickers that also contain two doves and the players' jersey numbers: 13 for Johnny and 21 for Matthew, the number he wore as a college player in Boston.
When the NHL regular season begins in mid-October, all Columbus game jerseys will also get a fabric patch with Johnny Gaudreau's number sewn on.
