Meredith Gaudreau, wife of Johnny Gaudreau, thanked the city of Calgary and the Flames for the memorial outside of the Saddledome honouring her late husband.
Gaudreau made an Instagram story post on Monday expressing gratitude to the city and Calgary Flames fans.
“Thank you Calgary,” Gaudreau said in the post. “This is amazing. But I’m not surprised. The best people ever.”
Fans laid flowers and other items at the steps of the arena’s entrance and shared sentiments on the pavement using chalk, with a large No. 13 in the centre, Johnny Gaudreau’s number for the majority of his career.
Gaudreau, often referred to as “Johnny Hockey” by fans, was drafted by the Flames in 2011 and spent eight full seasons in Calgary before signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022 off-season.
Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed while cycling on a rural two-lane road near their home in Salem, N.J.
On Friday, the Flames first paid tribute to Gaudreau on the Saddledome jumbotron with a shot of him in a Flames uniform with the words: “In loving memory,” his name and “1993-2024.”
Meanwhile, in Columbus, the Blue Jackets paid tribute to Johnny outside Nationwide Arena with a digital banner sharing the words: “In loving memory. Johnny Gaudreau.”
As in Calgary, people dropped off flowers, hockey sticks and other items near the arena’s entrance.
The main mural outside the arena features a graphic of Gaudreau with his Blue Jackets teammates.