(Buffalo) Hearing the familiar sound of hockey sticks and pucks hitting the boards while watching the Columbus Blue Jackets prospects wasn’t enough to end Don Waddell’s grief Saturday.
The team’s general manager acknowledged that it will take more time than anyone can imagine – weeks, months, maybe an entire season and then some.
What mattered was that the Buffalo Sabres’ prospects tournament represented what Waddell called one of the first steps in a renewed focus on hockey and the future following the deaths of forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes on Aug. 29.
“We have to play hockey,” Waddell said. “We won’t forget Johnny and his family, the Gaudreau family.”
He then referred to the speech Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, gave at the brothers’ funeral Monday, urging mourners to move forward as she will by focusing on raising her children.
“Everybody knows Johnny wants them to play hockey,” Waddell said. “And everybody’s rallying around that.”
The return to hockey in Columbus began last week, when most of the Blue Jackets returned to the team’s facility at the request of Waddell and captain Boone Jenner. It will continue Thursday, when training camp begins, exactly three weeks after the Gaudreaus’ deaths.
“Tragic. It doesn’t make sense. But right now we have to focus on getting our team ready,” Waddell said. “We all grieve differently, but I think as a team, coming together is going to be key moving forward.”
This isn’t the first tragedy to strike Waddell or the Blue Jackets.
Waddell was the general manager of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2003 when Dany Heatley lost control of his car before it crashed into a wall, killing teammate Dan Snyder. In 2021, Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in a fireworks incident during Independence Day celebrations.
Waddell put the emphasis on himself and coach Dean Evason – both newcomers to Columbus – to guide the team through what will be an emotional season.
“Now, do I think there’s going to be dark days? I wouldn’t be surprised,” Waddell said.
Memories of the Gaudreaus’ deaths remain apparent and were reflected in Buffalo Friday night. A moment of silence was held for the brothers before the opening puck drop of a game between the Blue Jackets and Sabres.
After the game, Blue Jackets prospect Gavin Brindley reflected on his time with Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus and as a teammate in a U.S. uniform at the last world championships in the Czech Republic.
“He was one of my biggest mentors at Worlds,” Brindley said. “I can’t tell you how many times we spent time with Meredith, with pictures to show for it. It’s so hard to think back on that.”
The National Hockey League (NHL) and the players’ association are providing the Blue Jackets with assistance in the form of bereavement support, crowd management at wakes and resolving hockey-related issues, such as potentially changing payroll rules to allow the club to avoid having to hit the salary floor because of Gaudreau’s expired contract.
“With the Blue Jackets, I don’t think anybody is focused on what’s next, organizationally and from a hockey standpoint, because I think everybody is still in shock,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told The Associated Press last week. “I don’t think anybody is focused right now, except on the grieving part, which is understandable.”