Both the Blue Jackets and the Red Wings paid tribute to the Johnny Gaudreau before their Stadium Series clash on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Columbus players all dressed up like Gaudreau and were led into the venue by his family, and Detroit players donned different Gaudreau jerseys from his previous teams.
Gaudreau, the late Blue Jackets star, and his brother, Matthew, were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver while biking in August on their way home in New Jersey on the day before their sister’s wedding.
Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner told NHL.com that what the team wore was a “signature Johnny fit.”
The team put on black Ugg boots, black sweatpants, black AMIRI hats — with three stars and worn forward — and Avalon Surf Shop sweatshirts, according to the outlet.
“His style was definitely more unique, more laidback,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski told NHL.com. “He wore the same stuff all the time. I think that’s what made him in a sense a special person, how laid back he was. Part of that was his style.
“We just thought it was a great idea to dress like him.”
Some Red Wings players wore Boston College jerseys — a nod to where Gaudreau played in the NCAA before he was selected by the Flames in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Others wore a Team USA jersey, featuring his No. 13, during their entrance.
Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, and their two children — Noa and Johnny Jr. — were among the group leading the Blue Jackets players into the venue before they played the first outdoor game in franchise history.
Tributes have poured in for the Gaudreau brothers from throughout the hockey communities after their deaths, including during an emotional home opener in Columbus in October and the 4 Nations Face-Off in February when Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 occupied a stall in the Team USA locker room.
And during Columbus’ game against the Blackhawks on Feb. 23, his son, Johnny Jr., celebrated his first birthday with fans singing to him — which, Meredith later wrote in an Instagram Stories post, helped make her son’s day “so special.”
“I know baby Johnny’s dad appreciates this and the big win,” she wrote.
His jersey was also in the Ohio State locker room Saturday, according to NBC4 Columbus.