In the waning hours of August 29, what seemed to be a vicious hoax began to spread on Twitter: NHL star and former Calgary Flames left-winger Johnny Gaudreau had been killed in a cycling accident with a suspected drunk driver.
By the morning of August 30, the worst fears of fans had come true. The news was no hoax, and that Gaudreau and his brother Matthew had been killed just hours before the wedding of their sister Katie.
The outpouring of Calgarians was immediate, with fans turning the east stairs of the Saddeldome into a makeshift memorial.
“The most precious asset you have in life is time, and Johnny gave us a lot of time—many years in the city, and made us happy,” said Frederic Leqoc, who, like many others, donned his Gaudreau jersey to lay a bouquet of flowers at the heart of Flames hockey.
“We’re all excited to come and watch a game and see what kind of magical move he was going to pull. I think we need to be grateful for the time he spent here, and the time we had the opportunity to spend with him and watch him, because it was like 40 plus game every year. That’s why I just say thank you,” Leqoc said.
Leqoc was among a number of fans who gathered to remember Gaudreau.
Awais Malik, who taped up a pair of photos to the Saddledome outside stairs banisters, said that he watched Gaudreau come to Calgary as a student in high school, and then watched him as he gave his time to Calgarians.
The goal in game seven against the Dallas Stars during the legendary playoff run in 2022 where Gaudreau scored the game-winning shot in overtime, was an unforgettable moment for him.
In turn, Malik said he came to pay his respects to someone who had given so much to the city.
“It just felt right,” he said.
Another long-time Flames fan Diane Baron, said that for her it was the stories of Gaudreau taking time to visit sick kids in hospital, or to volunteer for local Calgary charities, that she remembered.
“He gave the city hope. There had been a long time since we had had a hero on our team, and he gave that to us, this little guy that everyone passed over and didn’t really think much of him,” Baron said.
“He was just a superstar, and he did it with such skill. Watching him dance around the ice like only he could do, it was just phenomenal.”
Leqoc said that for himself, outside of that shared moment of the 2022 playoffs, it was something more personal that he would remember Gaudreau for.
“Everybody’s going to go to game seven of a playoff versus Dallas, which, of course, is a highlight… but I was lucky enough to play with him at the Flames golf charity tournament, and we won in 2018 that tournament. That’s why it’s hard to process. That was probably one of my favourite moments, because I got to spend, we got to spend time with him, and realize how nice of a person he was, and genuine and accessible,” Leqoc said.
He said that even when Gaudreau left the Flames to be closer to his family, it wasn’t with sadness but gratitude for the time he chose to spend in Calgary.
“I just want to show support and say thank you, and to show support and also send a message. Because if what people are saying [is true], about the driver being under the influence, just don’t drink and drive. It’s ruining so many people’s lives,” Leqoc said.
