The Columbus Blue Jackets honored the late NHL player Johnny Gaudreau ahead of its Stadium Series game on Saturday. Columbus players arrived to the game in outfits inspired by Gaudreau. Those included sweatpants and hoodies.

Gaudreau passed away in 2024, after being hit by a drunk driver. He played for 11 seasons in the NHL as a winger, and he spent a lot of that time with the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau also spent time with the Calgary Flames.

In his career, Gaudreau posted 743 points including 500 assists. He appeared in 763 NHL games.

Columbus won its Stadium Series contest against the Detroit Red Wings, 5-3. It was a huge win for the Blue Jackets because it allowed them to overcome Detroit in the Eastern Conference standings.

Columbus is now 30-22-8 on the season.

The Blue Jackets are looking for a run to the postseason

Columbus Blue Jackets left wing James van Riemsdyk (21) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers in the second period at Nationwide Arena.
Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
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The Blue Jackets are skating well this season, so much so that the team's general manager wants to keep his core group of players together. Columbus is expected to be a buyer and not a seller ahead of the NHL trade deadline March 7.

“At the beginning of the season, I just hoped we’d have some kind of meaningful games in March. I didn’t realize we’d be in a playoff spot. And so now, the way I look at it, I don’t know if selling off is the right thing for this group,” Columbus general manager Don Waddell said, per NHL.com. “This group has done a great job of sticking together, and whether we can get there or not, I think I’ve got to give this group a chance.”

The Blue Jackets are red-hot right now and proving Waddell right. Columbus has won four in a row after defeating Detroit in the Stadium Series. The Blue Jackets got two points each from three players in that game.

Waddell saw the Stadium Series as a huge opportunity to boost support for the team in Ohio.

“We’re going to expose Blue Jackets hockey to 20,000 or 30,000 people who have never experienced it. People who are going to come from all over Ohio,” Waddell added. “People who have heard of the Blue Jackets but never had the chance to come to a game. This is our chance to grow our fan base. Look what an outdoor game did for Carolina, so there’s no reason why we can’t do the same thing here in Columbus.”

The Blue Jackets next play Tampa Bay on Tuesday.