To friends, family, and the 5th Line, Johnny Gaudreau meant everything

We are devastated this morning. The Columbus Blue Jackets, the NHL - heck, the hockey world, lost one of its greatest people last night. To friends, family, and the 5th Line, however, Johnny Gaudreau was more than just hockey. He meant everything.

I never got the chance to meet Johnny, which is something I'll always regret. Everyone who had the fortune of shaking his hand will tell you the same thing: he was one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

For that reason, for me, my love for Johnny was by proxy. I grew to love him the moment he chose to shock the hockey world by signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent, in the summer of 2022.

He chose to come Columbus. At a time when we questioned everything about our franchise, and were asking ourselves what was wrong with our city ... Johnny chose to be a Blue Jacket.

By choosing the NHL's least-known franchise, he told the hockey world a lot about himself. All he wanted was to play the game he loved at a high level, in a place where he could comfortably raise his young and expanding family. No better city to do that than Columbus, Ohio.

This is something I can absolutely relate to. My family is everything to me, and I know the same is true for Johnny. He beamed whenever he talked about his beloved wife Meredith and their kids, Noa and Johnny.

I feel the most pain for them. This is a tragedy that my brain cannot even comprehend, and all of my thoughts are with them at this time.

Also lost in this tragedy was Johnny's brother Matthew. While he didn't share Johnny's success in the game of hockey, everything we've heard about him is that he shared Johnny's success in life. By all accounts, he was a great person as well.

Our own Mike Stump was lucky enough to meet Johnny at a recent charity event. He shared the picture taken of him and his wife this morning, along with some thoughts:

"My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny and Zach in person recently as part of a charitable event to the Blue Jackets foundation. One of the nicest guys in the organization with two young children and a beautiful family. Our hearts are aching."

Mike Stump (U&B)

At Union & Blue, we're not credentialed journalists. We're fans, and it's our goal to represent the voice of the entire 5th Line as much as possible. Today, we are all in deep pain over a tragic, senseless accident that cost us someone we enjoyed to watch so dearly.

"I never got the chance to meet Johnny. But always heard great things about how great a person he was. Having a young family myself, I can only imagine the heartbreak that his wife and kids are dealing with right now. So many thoughts and prayers are going their way right now."

Matthew Duffey (U&B)

Beyond hockey, Johnny Gaudreau was a great human being. That's what we'll remember the most.