Hockey and sports in general can be broken down into moments. Some moments are bigger than others and chart the course of a franchise and an entire league. These moments can define a team’s destiny for years to come. Last Word on Hockey’s Summer series looks at these defining moments. Today we feature the biggest defining moment of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Top Columbus Blue Jackets Defining Moments in Team History
This one was a hard one to write about. The top moment for the Blue Jackets pretty much goes without saying. It’s a moment that is still raw and hard for many hockey fans to fathom.
This tragic moment is coming up on its one-year anniversary in late August. The hockey world is still hurting from it and will continue for seasons to come.
The Passing of Johnny Gaudreau
Background
Gaudreau came into the league with the Calgary Flames at the end of the 2013-14 after winning the Hobey Baker Award. Some thought the undersized forward from Boston College would struggle at the NHL level. However, he scored in his first career game against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Salem, New Jersey native would take the league by storm with his speed, scoring and skating ability. He played in Alberta for eight seasons and became a fan favourite the Flames.
Gaudreau would shock the hockey world and sign with the Blue Jackets despite offers from other teams. He did see a drop from his 115-point season in 2021-22, but was selected as an All-Star. Gaudreau would only get 60 points in the 2023-24 season, but there was hope after former Calgary teammate Sean Monahan signed in free agency to reunite with his old running buddy.
The Moment
Changes were afoot a new general manager in Don Waddell and head coach in Dean Evason. The Jackets were expected to be more competitive and were looking forward to Gaudreau and Monahan picking up where they left off. However, they would never get a chance to rekindle that partnership.
On the night of August 29, 2024, Gaudreau and his brother Matthew (a former Boston College player as well) were allegedly struck and killed while they were cycling around 8 p.m. in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. The pair were allegedly hit from behind by a driver attempting to pass other vehicles on a single-lane rural route.
The brothers were in town for their sister’s, Katie, wedding. Rumours of the brothers deaths circulated online, but nothing was confirmed until the following morning.
The passing shook the sports world and even world leaders commented on the tragic accident. All 32 NHL teams released statements regarding the passing of the Gaudreau brothers.
The Aftermath
This moment is something that is still being felt. Many thought the Blue Jackets would struggle without their star, but they put up a valiant effort before being eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention in the final days of the season.
Both the Flames and Blue Jackets organizations united to pay touching tributes to Johnny and Matthew. Montreal Canadiens star Cole Caufield immediately changed his number to 13 and put together one of his best seasons in his career.
Team USA hockey had Gaudreau’s jersey with them at the World Juniors, Four Nations Face-Off and the IIHF Worlds. The Americans celebrated their first world championship since 1960. (The Olympics counted as the World Championships back then). Team USA put Gaudreau’s jersey over the trophy.
Monahan was selected for the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, which was given to him by Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith. One of the more memorable moments of the recent NHL Draft was seeing Gaudreau’s wife see get a warm reception from the hockey world.
This passing will be felt for years, but Gaudreau will be remembered forever.
The Unthinkable Sweep
As hard as it is, we transition to a better time in Blue Jackets history. It was the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and many had penciled in the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the title. However, the Jackets had other ideas.
Many didn’t give Columbus a chance to advance and a three-goal first period seemingly made the experts. However, the Jackets would erase that lead and tie the opening game thanks to a Josh Anderson shorthanded goal in the third.
Columbus would steal Game 1 thanks to Seth Jones‘ power-play marker. That goal changed the face of the series. Many thought there would be a sweep, but no one would have predicted that it was the Blue Jackets were the ones doing the sweeping.
Tampa was the first President’s Trophy winner to be swept in the first round and first regular season number one to get eliminated in round one since 2012.
The Jackets would lose to the Boston Bruins in six games in the second round. However, it was a great moment in franchise history.
The Passing of Matiss Kivlenieks
Unfortunately, the passing of Johnny Gaudreau isn’t the first tragedy that the organization has dealt with. Columbus lost young Latvian goalie Matīss Kivlenieks in the summer of 2021.
The young netminder had played a handful of games with the club. However, he spent most of his career with AHL Cleveland Monsters. Kivlenieks was celebrating the Fourth of July weekend and the wedding of the daughter of goalie coach and former NHLer Manny Legace.
However, Kivlenieks’ life ended on July 4 during a fireworks accident. Fellow Latvian Elvis Merzlikins revealed that Kivlenieks protected others from disaster. Merzlikins revealed that his countryman protected Merzlikins’ wife and unboard child from being struck by an errant fireworks mortar shell.
Former teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois would change his number to 80 to honour the passing of Kivlenieks while with the Winnipeg Jets. He has worn the number with the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings.
Honourable Mention
There are other Columbus Blue Jackets defining moments to mention. Beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in playoff bubble, drafting Rick Nash (and that goal), the five-overtime game against Tampa in the bubble and the 16-game winning streak in 2016-17 are also top moments.
Stick around all summer long as we look at more defining moments from each NHL team.
Main photo by: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
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