"This made me cry": Johnny Gaudreau's wife Meredith in tears as Blue Jackets pay heartwarming tribute to late NHLer

The Columbus Blue Jackets paid tribute to late NHLer Johnny Gaudreau as they opened the 2025-26 NHL season in Nashville this week. The club hung his No. 13 jersey in the visitors’ locker room at Bridgestone Arena, a gesture that drew an emotional response from his widow, Meredith.

On Friday, Meredith Gaudreau reposted an image of the jersey on her Instagram stories. The original post came from Bardown and TSN Official who had shared a photo of the jersey with the caption noting it was displayed in the Blue Jackets’ locker room for their season opener.

Meredith added her own emotional reaction to the repost, writing:

“I’ve seen things like this many times now but this made me cry. Never will get old. Thank u.”

via Instagram/ @meredithgaudreau_

Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew were killed in a cycling accident in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on August 29 last year. Since then, the Blue Jackets have held a series of tributes including a banner-raising and a 13-second moment of silence before their 2024 home opener, as well as memorial warmup jerseys worn by players. Calgary, where Gaudreau spent the first nine years of his career, also hosted a pregame tribute when Columbus visited later that season.

On the ice in Nashville, the Predators spoiled the Jackets’ opener with a 2-1 victory. Dmitri Voronkov scored Columbus’ lone goal in the first period while Michael Bunting and Ryan O’Reilly tallied for Nashville. A potential second-period go-ahead goal by Mathieu Olivier was overturned on review for goaltender interference.

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Johnny Gaudreau's mother shares heartfelt tribute on his daughter Noa’s birthday

Earlier last week, Johnny Gaudreau’s mother Jane marked her granddaughter Noa’s third birthday with a touching Instagram tribute. She shared a collage of family photos set to Christina Perri’s “Isn’t She Lovely” featuring moments from Noa’s early years to more recent family memories.

The collection included snapshots of Noa as a newborn in the hospital, a smiling portrait in a baby dress and several pictures with her younger brother Johnny Jr. One image showed her wearing a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey in her grandmother’s arms, while another featured a throwback of Johnny holding his daughter. A summertime photo captured Noa in a pink hat sitting on a golf cart beside her grandfather Guy.

In the caption, Jane wrote:

“Happy 3rd Birthday Noa. We love you so much!”

The birthday weekend also brought the Gaudreau and Gudbranson families together for a joint celebration of Noa and Zoey’s third birthdays. On Sunday, Meredith Gaudreau and Erik Gudbranson’s wife Sarah shared Instagram stories from the fairytale and ice cream-themed party. One clip showed Zoey dressed as Snow White, while another featured the girls side by side decorating cakes with colorful sprinkles.

“The best day celebrating the ice cream princesses,” Sarah wrote in one story adding a white heart emoji.

Noa was also seen pouring toppings at an ice cream stand labeled “Ice Cream by Noa Girl,” enjoying cake with friends and lounging on a pink settee decorated with boas and a toy phone.