- Johnny Gaudreau was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday night
- His mother, Jane, said he wanted to end his NHL career as a Flyer, even if it meant a one-day contract
- Read below for her speech and what the night looked like for the Gaudreau family
Johnny Gaudreau wanted to finish his NHL career in Philadelphia.
His mother, Jane Gaudreau, said so Thursday night while the family accepted his induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame at the Live! Casino & Hotel Event Center in South Philadelphia.
Jane was talking about where Johnny hoped his playing days would end when she told the room about a plan he had.
“Even if he had to go and sign one day, he was going to end his career as a Philadelphia Flyer because he thought that every young person growing up should be able to play for their home team,” she said.
Catch the moment from the ceremony, shared by Philadelphia reporter David Malandra Jr.:
Johnny’s father and two sisters stood on stage with Jane. The Blue Jackets sent a video that followed his rise from an undersized kid to one of the best players in the world, and three of his former Columbus teammates added a video message before she spoke.
Jane closed by saying how Johnny would have felt about the honor.
“He would be so incredibly proud and so thankful to everyone,” she said.
Gaudreau grew up a Flyers fan in South Jersey, then starred at Boston College before building his NHL career with the Calgary Flames and Columbus. He never got the chance to wear orange and black. He was 31 when he and his brother Matthew were killed by a driver while riding their bikes on Aug. 29, 2024, the day before their sister’s wedding.
The Hall of Fame class also included Carli Lloyd, Jon Runyan, Hugh Douglas and Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic. The night was built around gratitude, and the Gaudreau family drew some of the biggest emotion in the room.
His name keeps showing up in the sports world. A colt named Gaudreau finished second in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park last month, and the Blue Jackets honored both brothers with this tribute video on the second anniversary of their deaths:
A Flyers jersey never got his name on it, but Philadelphia now has a spot for him in its Hall.
