Knights’ Hanifin reflects on stunning loss of ex-teammate Gaudreau

It’s been difficult for the Golden Knights defenseman to figure out how to feel after losing his friend and four-year teammate with the Calgary Flames.

Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on Aug. 29. Johnny was 31 years old, and Matthew was 29.

“I think it’s something you learn to handle and deal with over time,” Hanifin said. “Knowing Johnny and Matty as well as I did, it was something that you can never really figure out. You don’t know why it happened. All you can do is just be there.”

The bond between Hanifin and Johnny started before they were teammates.

There’s a connection, Hanifin said, when guys play at the same school. Gaudreau played at Boston College from 2012-14. Hanifin played his one and only season with the Eagles the year after.

Hanifin was teammates with Matthew for that one year. That season ended early in the regional semifinals, but it was a meaningful time for Hanifin playing with someone who shared the same characteristics as his brother.

“They’re going to leave a pretty special legacy behind to the hockey community and the community they’re from,” Hanifin said. “We’re blessed to even be able to spend the time we had with them and the contributions they made with everybody they met.”

Hanifin was traded to the Flames in June 2018 from the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a move meant to launch Calgary into Stanley Cup contention. A 22-year-old defenseman was joining 25-year-old Johnny Gaudreau, 24-year-old Sean Monahan and 21-year-old Matthew Tkachuk.

It didn’t take long for Hanifin to realize how special Gaudreau was.

There would be days, Hanifin said, when Gaudreau would come to the rink in his sweatpants and stay in the players lounge. He was that simple.

“He would just be one of those guys that would just throw on his gear and go out and just be special, you know?” Hanifin said. “Just had gifts that not a lot of people had in the game of hockey. It was just so cool to watch him play, and it honestly was a privilege to play with somebody like that.”

Championships never materialized, though. The Flames won two Pacific Division titles and had two 100-point seasons, but never made it past the second round with that core.

Off the ice, in Hanifin’s eyes, was where the best memories were made.

Hanifin and Gaudreau lived one floor from each other in the same apartment building for years. Tkachuk was also in the same building. The three would spend almost every day together, playing games and sharing stories.

Gaudreau eventually moved out of the building when he and his wife, Meredith, got married in September 2021. Their first child, daughter Noa, was born a year later. Their son, Johnny, was born in February.

Meredith announced during the funeral that she was expecting their third child.

“Meredith, she’s incredible,” Hanifin said. “(It’s important to) just be there for her and whatever she needs.”

‘We lost a great guy’

The rest of the Knights mostly knew Gaudreau from being on opposite sides when the Flames were on the schedule, but they knew of the kind of person he was.

Knights captain Mark Stone’s brother Michael played six seasons with Gaudreau in Calgary and said he always spoke highly of him.

“He put a smile on guys’ faces every day he stepped on the rink,” Mark Stone said. “Everything you see and hear about Johnny, unbelievable to his family, unbelievable to his friends. It’ll never seem real. We lost a great guy and a great person.”

Center William Karlsson and his wife, Emily, are expecting their second child later this year. Being a new father, coupled with the news, opened Karlsson’s eyes.

“Once you have kids, too, it puts everything into perspective,” Karlsson said. “(It was a) super sad day.”

In his honor

The Blue Jackets announced Wednesday their season-long initiatives to honor Johnny .

The team will wear No. 13 patches on their sweaters this season, as well as stickers with Nos. 13 and 21 — Matthew’s number — on their helmets.

Monahan signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract with Columbus this offseason. One of those reasons was to reunite with one of his best friends after playing seven years together in Calgary.

He wore a shirt with “13” and a picture of Johnny on the front as the Blue Jackets began training camp Wednesday.

“It’s obviously tough,” Monahan told Columbus reporters. “Haven’t really talked publicly about it at all. I still don’t know the exact words to even say. But I’m excited for the season. I’m excited to get it going.

“We’re going to miss Johnny. I’m going to miss Johnny a lot. It’s something I think about every day. It’s definitely really hard to get through, but we’ve got a great group here. We’re going to miss him as a team.”

Hanifin said the best way for him to honor Johnny Gaudreau is to do what he did — be a good human being and a good teammate.

Those are traits he’s always lived by and is excited for the chance to lead in his first full season with the Knights. He’ll do so with a heavy heart.

“Looking back on my relationship with Johnny going into the future,” Hanifin said, “I want to be more like him.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.