Past and current Canucks pay tribute as hockey world grieves Johnny and Matty Gaudreau

Tributes continue to pour in from around the hockey world after the sudden and tragic passing of Johnny and Matty Gaudreau on Thursday night.

The Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, Johnny’s two NHL teams, were among the first to express their condolences on social media on Friday morning, while each of the other 30 franchises quickly followed suit.

Fans in Calgary and Columbus gathered around the entrances to the Scotiabank Saddledome and Nationwide Arena on Friday to pay their respects to “Johnny Hockey,” who skated in 10 full NHL seasons with the Flames and Blue Jackets during his career.

The Flames, with whom Gaudreau made his NHL debut in 2014, posted a moving two-minute video tribute commemorating his career on Friday afternoon.

Gaudreau went to battle against the Vancouver Canucks numerous times during his terrific career, with his Flames defeating the Canucks in six games in the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Regardless of any on-ice rivalries, Gaudreau consistently earned the respect of his opponents and was named the recipient of the Lady Byng Award in 2017 as the NHL’s most gentlemanly player.

Former Canucks captain Bo Horvat reposted tributes to Matty and Johnny on Friday before posting another photo of himself next to Johnny at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

Current Canucks stars Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson also posted their condolences to Instagram, as did Thatcher Demko, who played with the Gaudreaus at Boston College. Demko commented that they were “genuinely some of the sweetest people I’ve played with and gotten close with.”

Also on Friday, Gaudreau family friend Holland Korbitz established a fundraiser to support Matty’s wife, Madeline, who is currently pregnant with their unborn son, Tripp.

“In this unimaginably difficult time, we are coming together to support Matthew’s wife, Madeline and their growing baby Tripp, and help alleviate some of the financial burdens they now face. Your support will allow them the time to take off work to grieve and heal as a family,” the fundraiser text reads.

“Although no amount of money can ease the pain of loss, your support on any level will help take some of the financial weight off the Gaudreau family as they navigate this journey. All donations raised will be transferred directly to Madeline to help pay for funeral expenses and baby Tripp.”