John Tortorella got help from a new coach Monday at Philadelphia Flyers training camp: the father of the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
The Flyers gave a stick tap to thank Guy Gaudreau, a former hockey coach at Hollydell Ice Arena and Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, when he took the ice to participate in drills during practice. The Flyers shook Gaudreau’s hand at the end of the skate in appreciation and thanked him for his help.
“He was hesitant at first, and we let him go at his own pace,” Tortorella said. “I think it worked really well today. I gave him my camp book. We’re going to check in next week and see if we can get him out here a couple more times and get him involved. I don’t want him to just come out here. I want him to be involved. I think it’ll be therapeutic for him to be around us and do some drills.”
Tortorella said he had never met Guy Gaudreau, a former player and coach who raised his family in the area, before Monday’s practice in New Jersey. Tortorella said Gaudreau had an open invitation to come back and help the Flyers at any time.
“I’ve never met Johnny and Matt in my travels as a coach,” Tortorella told reporters at the Flyers’ Voorhees complex. “But their family is here. It’s a horrible situation. He’s a coach. He’s done a great job with some kids here. I thought it was a perfect fit to bring him on our team.”
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Guy Gaudreau entered the ice to participate in drills during the practice session.
Tortorella joked that Gaudreau criticized him for yelling at players to skate harder in practice.
“A lot of people know him in the organization because of his reputation,” the Flyers coach said.
Tortorella attended the brothers’ funeral last month in suburban Philadelphia.
“I thought both women were very strong in the way they handled themselves,” Tortorella said. “Nobody can imagine that. I hope to get to know the family. I think a number of coaches want to get to know the family, the kids, Matt’s family. What happened is just horrible. It’s still very fresh. It’s here. It’s with us. Down the street. We just want to be a part of it and try to help.”
Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes on a rural South Jersey road on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver who hit them, police said, faces two counts of vehicular homicide, dangerous driving, possession of an open container and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Johnny Gaudreau, nicknamed “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to begin his third with the Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million contract in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames.
“We don’t want it to be an everyday thing,” Tortorella said. “We just want to help. Being in a locker room, coach to coach, player to coach, guys talking to him, I just hope it helps a little bit.”