In the wake of the Gaudreau tragedy, the 5th Line must heal together
The passing of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau has left a huge hole in the hearts of hockey fans, particularly in Calgary and Columbus. Attempting to move forward is going to be difficult.
I’m not sure if there is a right thing to say about how we deal with the losses of the Gaudreau brothers. I keep thinking and praying for their family. I continue to hold my family tight each night; cherishing every moment that I have with them. Now is the time to grieve, to mourn, to lament. But eventually, we will need to move forward.
I continue to ponder ways to help us move forward from this tragedy. I don’t think there is a blueprint on how to do so. But I found some inspiration from another team that experienced heartbreak.
While hockey season is about a month away, football season is just getting started. Most Blue Jackets fans are Ohio State Buckeye fans. Being a Buckeye fan myself, I have been following the team and perused their upcoming schedule.
In a couple of weeks, Ohio State will take on Marshall University. That got me thinking of one of my favorite movies: We Are Marshall. It’s the true story of how 75 members of the Marshall University community (football players, coaches, administrators, boosters) lost their lives in a plane crash in 1970. The University, the city of Huntington (West Virginia), and numerous families were in extreme pain and agony over the loss.
The movie goes through the difficulties of the University to move forward from the tragedy and to continue playing football. There was even a debate about whether they should continue with the football program at all. The decision was split, but they ultimately decided to continue with football because that’s what the deceased would have wanted.
The Marshall University football program accrued more losses in the 1970’s than any other football program in the nation. However, the University and the fans continued to support the program because it meant so much to them. It was their way of honoring those fallen sons of Marshall.
The outcome of the games was not important. The love and support of each other was the ultimate outcome. After years of heartache, the program went on to win numerous conference titles, bowl victories, and national championships. The love that the community had for each other resulted in the football program going from tragedy to triumph.
How can the Blue Jackets and their fans move forward? We can learn three lessons from the Marshall football story.
We Are Marshall is an incredible story and one that I think has lessons that we, as Blue Jackets fans and Columbus residents, can learn from.
1. Lean on each other.
Love is the ultimate form of support. It doesn’t matter where it comes from. It could be from family, friends, neighbors, or fellow fans. We, as a hockey community and Columbus community, need to rely on each other. By showing love and kindness to others, we can heal together.
2. Put Family First
Both brothers put family ahead of everything else. That was the most important thing to them. One of the best ways to honor and remember someone is to live what they preached. We need to put our families and friends first in our lives. When life gets hectic, sometimes we get away from that. We need to prioritize our loved ones. The bonds that bring us together will help heal our wounds.
3. Honor the Gaudreaus
The deaths of Johnny and Matthew were beyond preventable. We need to honor their lives by helping save the lives of others. We should never drink and drive. We should teach our kids that lesson. We need to spread that message across the land. If we can become advocates against drunk driving, we can help prevent future tragedies from occurring. When we help others, we [in turn] help ourselves. What a great way to honor their lives by helping save other lives.
The vigil that was held in Columbus on 9/4 had a great turnout and showed how much this city loves this team and each other. That’s what we all need right now. We need to continue to show up and turn out. When the hockey season starts in a month, we all need to pack Nationwide and support the team and our fellow fans. Don’t worry about the outcome of each game. The triumph over our sorrow is the most important thing. That is the only victory that we need right now.
Remember: Johnny chose Columbus. He knew how special this city and its residents are. It was a place that he deemed to be great to raise a family. I’m sure he felt that way, in part, because of the great citizens. Let’s continue honoring him and his decision with our continued support of each other and the team.
The movie ends with the line: “From the ashes, they rose.” I think it’s a good line, as it captures the overall sentiment of the movie. The Blue Jackets catch phrase from the 2019-2020 season was “Out of Our Blue, We Rise.” At the time, it wasn’t an overly popular catch phrase. It left many fans pondering what it even meant. But I think it could be very applicable to our situation now: Out of Our Blue (i.e. our pain), We Will Rise. Together. One Day at a Time.
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