‘It’s way more important than a game of hockey and he deserves to be remembered and recognized,’ says Blake Coleman
Johnny Gaudreau’s presence will be felt at the Saddledome on Saturday night.
It’s sure to be an emotional night, especially for his former teammates.
“When it comes to Johnny, there is no managing (the emotion),” said Flames winger Blake Coleman. “It is what it is. It’s going to be a little emotional just to see the tribute and feel his presence with us again. It’s not just a light switch you can turn off.
“It’s way more important than a game of hockey and he deserves to be remembered and recognized and I’m happy I get to be here and see it and be a part of it and then, after that, we’ll take care of the game.”
There will surely be many more tributes in the months ahead, but Saturday night will be different.
Saturday will be the first regular-season game at the Dome since.
“I think it’s a great thing to do, the right thing to do, to honour and remember him in a positive way,” said Flames captain Mikael Backlund. “He brought so much joy to this city and so much excitement, so it’s the right thing to do. There will be some goosebumps, there are some big highlights, so it will be emotional, for sure. But I like that we’re celebrating instead of doing a moment of silence.”
In addition to what happens at Saturday night’s game, Dustin Wolf has added a tribute to his own to his goalie mask. The Flames’ shot-stopper had an image of Gaudreau painted to the back of the mask that he will wear this season.
While Wolf didn’t play in any games with Gaudreau, he loved watching him compete and understands the impact that No. 13 had on the city of Calgary and the Flames organization. Paying tribute felt right.
“My painter came up with an idea to show our support for him and his family,” Wolf explained. “I went through the parts of asking (Gaudreau’s family) and getting their approval. He’s so important to the city of Calgary and I was only around him a handful of times, but I wanted to be able to show that we’re all here to support him and his family. I felt it was important.”
After the tribute, the Flames have a game to play against the Philadelphia Flyers.
They know it might be difficult to manage the emotions of a home opener and remembering Gaudreau, but that’s not a concern.
Some things are bigger than hockey, and honouring Gaudreau’s lasting legacy is one of them.
“My thought in my head would be go out and remember some of the good times and go out and play your very best game. That’s the best way you can go out and play to honour a good friend.”