Father of Gaudreau brothers helps
out on the ice at Philadelphia Flyers practice
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[September 24, 2024]
By DAN GELSTON
John Tortorella had a former hockey coach help him Monday at
Philadelphia Flyers training camp — the father of the late John and
Matthew Gaudreau, who was an invited guest.
The Flyers tapped their sticks in appreciation of Guy Gaudreau, a
former hockey coach at Hollydell Ice Arena and Gloucester Catholic
High School in New Jersey, when he hit the ice to assist with drills
during practice. The Flyers shook Gaudreau’s hand at the end of the
skate in appreciation and thanked him for helping out.
“He was hesitant at first, and we kind of let him go at his
timetable,” Tortorella said. “I think it worked out really well
today. I gave him my camp book. We're going to check in next week
and see if we can get him out here a couple more times and have him
be part of it. I don't want it to be, ‘Just come out here.’ I want
him to be part of it. I think it will be therapeutic for him to be
around us and run some drills.”
Tortorella said he had never met Gaudreau, a former hockey player
and coach who raised his family nearby, until Monday's practice in
New Jersey. Tortorella said Gaudreau had an open invitation to
return and help the Flyers at any point.
“I never met Johnny and Matt in my travels as coach,” Tortorella
told reporters at the Flyers' complex in Voorhees. "But their
family's here. Horrific situation going on. He's a coach. He's done
some great work with some of the youth out here. I figured it's
perfect just to get him in with us.”
Tortorella joked that Gaudreau was giving him a hard time for
yelling at players to skate harder during practice.
“A lot of people know him in the organization because of his
reputation,” Tortorella said.
Tortorella attended the brothers' funeral last month in a
Philadelphia suburb.
“I thought the two wives were so strong in how they handled
themselves,” Tortorella said. “No one can imagine. No one can. I’m
hoping to get to know the family. I think a number of coaches want
to get to know the family, the girls, Matt’s family. It’s just
horrible what happened. It’s still pretty fresh. It’s here. It’s
with us. Down the street. We just want to be part of it and try and
help.”
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The Philadelphia Flyers host Guy Gaudreau, second from right, the
father of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, at the team's morning skate,
Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in Voorhees, N.J. (The Philadelphia Inquirer
via AP)
John Gaudreau's widow, Meredith, wrote on social
media how much Tortorella's gesture meant to the family.
“John & Matty would love this. They’re both so proud of their dad, I
know this made them smile as they watched down from heaven," she
wrote, adding a heart emoji.
John Gaudreau, the Columbus Blue Jackets star, and his brother,
Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by
a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles on a
rural road in South Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie's
wedding. The driver who police say struck them is charged with two
counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of
an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
John Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in
the league and was set to enter his third with the Blue Jackets
after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his
first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included
becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across
North America.
“We don't want it to be an everyday story,” Tortorella said. “We
just want to help. To be in a locker room, coach to coach, player to
coach, guys talking to him, I just hope it helps a little bit.”
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