The Columbus Blue Jackets home opener is usually a celebration in Ohio's capital. On Tuesday, they opened the season against the Florida Panthers with heavy hearts. It was the first game at Nationwide Arena since the passing of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. The Blue Jackets showed an emotional tribute to the Gaudreau brothers ahead of the game.

The five-and-a-half-minute video shows the story of Gaudreau's life, from growing up in South Jersey to his time with the Blue Jackets. His wife Meredith, his two children, his parents, and Matthew are all key parts of the video. A video was shown at the opening game for each team, but Columbus went above and beyond with this one.

The tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau did not stop there. The Blue Jackets sent out only four skaters for the first shift, leaving the left wing open in number 13's honor. They then let 13 seconds run off the clock before dropping the puck to a rousing applause.

The Blue Jackets will wear a number 13 patch on their jersey and a special decal on their helmet for the entire season. Their opponent was a special one as well, as Gaudreau's former teammate Matthew Tkachuk is on the Panthers. Unfortunately, he is sick and could not make the trip to Columbus for the game. Tkachuk put out a touching tribute of his own before the game.

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Blue Jackets playing with heavy hearts in 2024-25

A patch honoring the life Johnny Gaudreau is seen on the jersey worn by Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov (59) during the first period at Xcel Energy Center.
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Blue Jackets opened their season on the road and grabbed one win in their first two games. They debuted a new tradition for their postgame player of the game in the locker room. They are giving out the “donkey of the game” hat with a blue number 13 embroidered on the cap. It is a nod to Gaudreau's tendency to call people donkeys. His former Calgary teammate and first-year Blue Jacket Sean Monahan fittingly won the first award.

That shows that the players will have Gaudreau in their hearts for this entire season. While fans poured into the streets to memorialize him when the news came out, players were there to talk about him. Now, they are playing with heavy hearts in front of fans with equally heavy hearts.

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau both went to Boston College, which will certainly have a tribute video of their own. Their home opener is on Friday night against American International College.