Before the match started, a banner with the text "Johnny Gaudreau 1993-2024" was raised, and his wife, two children, and a brother-in-law stepped out onto the ice and stood together with the home team players and the visiting Florida team while the audience applauded.
When the players then lined up to start the match, only four outfield players from Columbus were on the field, the left forward position was empty in memory of Gaudreau, who joined before the 2022-2023 season.
After the referee dropped the puck, the players stood still on the ice for the first 13 seconds - the same number as Gaudreau's jersey number - before the puck was picked up again, Columbus' left forward came out onto the ice, and the match began for real.
In terms of the game, Columbus did not manage to win for their deceased point king this time. The home team started strongest and went into the first break with a 2-1 lead.
However, the visiting Florida team eventually took over and managed to win 4-3 in the end.
Tonight's tribute to Johnny Gaudreau - who died along with his brother Matthew when they were hit during a bike ride in August - is the second in October after his former club Calgary honored him on Sunday.
During his more than eight seasons in Calgary, Gaudreau became one of the NHL's big stars. He scored goals and assists and had his best season in 2021-22 when he made 115 points, 40 goals, and 75 assists.
