There’s a new banner in the rafters at Nationwide Arena.
During a pregame ceremony honoring the life of Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed Aug. 29 along with his brother Matthew, the Columbus Blue Jackets hoisted a white banner bearing his No. 13, while his widow, Meredith and young kids, Noa and Johnny, watched on the ice.
They stood next to Sean Monahan, one of Gaudreau’s best friends and a center who signed with the Blue Jackets on July 1 partly to reunite with Gaudreau . They played with in Calgary for almost a decade, and planned to live a few houses away from each other in Columbus. Monahan held one of the kids, while Meredith had the other, wiping away tears as the banner lifted into place.
The ceremony was preceded by a touching video of Gaudreau’s life and career on the screens above the ice, and Meredith Gaudreau provided a recorded message to fans — known in Columbus as The 5 th Line ― after the ceremony, urging them to cheer for the Blue Jackets rather than be filled with grief.