Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith: ‘Thank you Calgary'

Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, is receiving an outpouring of support from Calgary as she mourns his loss.

On Sunday night, she posted a photo on Instagram of the growing memorial on the steps outside the Saddledome, where Johnny had thrilled fans and filled the stat sheets during his nine seasons with the Calgary Flames. The star hockey player was tragically killed on Thursday, along with his younger brother Matthew, when they were hit by a suspected drunk driver while cycling in Salem County, New Jersey.

“Thank you, Calgary,” Meredith wrote, adding a heart emoji. “This is amazing. But I’m not surprised. The best people ever.”

Since the heartbreaking news, fans have gathered at the Saddledome to honor Johnny, who was 31 and still in the prime of his NHL career with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He leaves behind two young children. Fans are also paying tribute to Matthew, who was 29.

The memorial is filled with flowers, hockey sticks, and bags of Skittles—the candy that Johnny’s father, Guy Gaudreau, famously used to teach him to skate. It also includes jerseys, hats, framed photos, and countless bottles of purple Gatorade, the favorite drink of the fun-to-watch forward line featuring Johnny and his close friends Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm, which was once the Flames’ top line.

Dozens of messages have been written in sidewalk chalk as well.

In a heartfelt letter released by the team on Saturday, Flames general manager Craig Conroy expressed his condolences. “I know there are no words that I can provide that will alleviate the suffering of losing both Johnny and Matthew,” Conroy wrote. “There isn’t a magic spell that will make us all feel better. But there is love that we can continue to share with the Gaudreaus that will play a part in helping them heal.

“The outpouring of social affection over the past 24 hours helps. The organic vigil on the steps of the Saddledome helps. And just as the Gaudreaus have shown us, being kind to one another helps.

“To Johnny’s wife Meredith and children Noa and Lil’ Johnny, Jane and Guy, sisters Katie and Kristen, and Matthew’s wife Madeline, Calgary will continue to be here for you and will always welcome you with open arms and hearts.”

There is little doubt that the Flames will eventually announce a formal tribute to Johnny Gaudreau, who scored 210 goals and 609 points in 602 regular-season games wearing Calgary’s colors and netted a series-winning overtime goal in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. The team is likely to wait for an appropriate time to discuss potential tributes with his family.

One popular suggestion is to retire his No. 13 jersey to the rafters, while another fan proposed on social media that a section of 13th Ave. SW near the new arena, once Scotia Place is completed, could be named ‘Gaudreau Way.’