The Flyers' visit to Columbus is another painful reminder of the void left by the late Johnny and Matty Gaudreau

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Garnet Hathaway went out for morning skate on Tuesday and looked skyward to the rafters of Nationwide Arena.

The Philadelphia Flyers forward found the white banner with the blue trim and the name Johnny Gaudreau in the heavens of the building. It is a permanent tribute to the South Jersey native who should have been squaring up against his former Calgary Flames teammate on the ice below when the Flyers played the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.

But on Aug. 29, on the eve of what was scheduled to be his younger sister’s wedding, while on an evening bike ride in Oldmans Township in Salem County, Johnny, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver. Johnny left behind two young children; his wife Meredith, and Matthew’s wife Madeline, are each pregnant.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of emotions. And I think even more so for his family, for guys that I know that knew him really well, really personally, were really close with him, and my heart just goes out to them,” Hathaway said.

“You watch the tributes in Calgary and here, and the banner night, and John and Matthew’s family being there, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wrap my head around it, especially what they’re going through and have been through. So you can just try and continue to support them, and those that were really close with him.”

Hathaway and Gaudreau first played together for the Flames in September 2014 at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, British Columbia. Each had made their pro debuts the previous spring — Gaudreau played one NHL game and Hathaway played a handful with Abbotsford of the American Hockey League — after they turned pro. Hathaway had wrapped up a four-year career at Brown University and Gaudreau suited up for three season at Boston College.

Gaudreau, a native of Salem County who starred for the Little Flyers as a youth, wore No. 13 at Boston College and the banner above the ice he should be skating on today features the number too. Walking around the arena he called home for two seasons, his college jersey, and the one worn by his brother Matthew — the two were teammates at BC — are part of a memorial on the arena’s main concourse.

Gaudreau wore No. 13 in Calgary too, when in his second full season the Flames called up Hathaway for his NHL debut in February of 2016. Sean Monahan, who signed with Columbus in the offseason to play with his friend Gaudreau, was in his third season in Alberta at the time.

“I played with Sean for a few years as well and I know how close those two were together, and their families too,” Hathaway said. “I think that being more removed from it and seeing the relationships that they had, I think it just highlights how important those relationships can be in your life and in hockey, but even more so outside of the rink.”

But it is on the rink where he became a star. Gaudreau, a seven-time All-Star who racked up 743 points in 763 NHL games, first plied his trade at Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell and later played for Gloucester Catholic High School. He was taught how to skate and play the game he’d later dominate — in spite of his diminutive. 5-foot-9, 163-pound frame — by his father Guy.

The ice is where, in late September, Guy Gaudreau found some solace. Guy, sporting a Flyers tracksuit, a maroon Frozen Four shirt — the color of Boston College, — and the same blue and red Warrior gloves with the name “Gaudreau” stitched on the cuff that Johnny wore with the Blue Jackets, helped coach the Flyers on the invitation of coach John Tortorella. Guy, who has an open invite from Tortorella, has appeared at multiple practices in Voorhees this season.

“It was amazing to have him out on the ice with us and it’s a testament to Torts, our coaching staff, our organization to reach out,” said Hathway who knew Guy from the Flames’ Fathers Trips.

“Being in this area, now coming back and playing around Philly you begin to more realize how big of an involvement the Gaudreau family has in that area. It’s all of New Jersey, that whole Philly area, it’s really special. Hockey’s a special sport but those relationships, those bonds, that community outreach, I think, is really just amazing.”

It was in the community that Joel Farabee first got to know Gaudreau. He went to dinner with the Flames star and Kevin Hayes, when Hayes was with the Flyers, and met him playing at the hockey tournament, Checking for Charity, in South Jersey. The corporation has hosted hockey tournaments across multiple skill levels including pro since 2009 and has raised over $400,000 for charity since its inception.

Farabee then skated with Gaudreau for USA Hockey this past May at the World Championships in Czechia.

“I didn’t see the banner, but I saw the picture when we walked into the rink,” Farabee said. “I think Columbus and Calgary have done a great job of just keeping his name around and the things they’ve done for his family and things like that are awesome.”

Later Tuesday, fans will walk into Nationwide Arena under a large mural showcasing captain Boone Jenner, Damon Severson, Zach Werenski, and Gaudreau, who is memorialized with his name and the years 1993-2024 under it. In August and September, the entrance was filled with countless sticks, jerseys, bags of Skittles, and bottles of purple Gatorade as fans mourned Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.

Gaudreau’s name is still on his stall between Monahan and Sean Kuraly in the Blue Jackets locker room. As you look around the brightly lit room, each stall has a picture above it with the player. Gaudreau’s is after he scored a goal, surrounded by four teammates and Jenner patting him on the head. There is still a spot for his sticks among his teammates.

“Just being able to be his teammate for a month during the summer was something I’ll remember forever,” Farabee said. “His family’s great people, and we miss him every day, for sure. But I think the legacy he’s left is a really good one. And I hope that the NHL, and all the teams involved will continue to keep his name and his legacy around.”