‘Everything a Flame and a Calgarian Should Be’: Calgary Flames Fans Hold Vigil to Honour Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau

Tim Haney (L) at the candlelight vigil honouring former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew outside the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sept.4, 2024. Carolina Avendano/The Epoch Times

CALGARY—Tim Haney is a third-generation Calgarian and lifelong Calgary Flames fan. For decades, he has watched their games and cheered their victories. But on the evening of Sept. 4, he was silent.

He joined thousands of other fans outside the Saddledome arena to hold a 13-minute vigil for hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew who were killed by an alleged drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey on Aug. 29. The vigil was 13 minutes long, in honour of Gaudreau’s jersey number.

“[Johnny Gaudreau was] everything that a hockey player, a Flame, and a Calgarian should be,” said Haney, who shares his Flames passion with his father, nieces, and nephew. He told The Epoch Times that Johnny Gaudreau “did it all for the right reasons, for the love of the game, and just being a good person all around.

“I hurt so much when he left, and that’s why it hurts so much now,” he added, holding back tears.

On the night of the accident, he had seen rumours online and went to bed hoping they were not true. The next morning he was “shocked and in disbelief.”

Johnny, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, had been riding their bicycles in Oldmans Township when they were struck by an SUV. New Jersey police charged Sean Higgins, 43, who allegedly told authorities he drank five or six beers before the accident.

The vigil began at 8 p.m. local time and was the first day of a 13-day observance organized by the Calgary Flames team “to continue to visit the memorial and pay tribute to Johnny and Matthew,” the team said on its website.

Matthew Gaudreau did not play for the NHL but played professionally for teams in the American and East Coast hockey leagues.

An attendee holds an electric candle at the vigil honouring former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew outside the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sept. 4, 2024. Carolina Avendano/The Epoch Times

A makeshift memorial outside the Scotiabank Saddledome in honour of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau featuring flowers, jerseys, purple Gatorade drink packets, Canadian flags, teddy bears, and bags of Skittles. Calgary Flames fans held a vigil in honour of the deceased brothers in Calgary on Sept. 4, 2024. Carolina Avendano/The Epoch Times

Hundreds of fans arrived at the vigil with flowers, Canadian flags, teddy bears, purple Gatorade drink packets, and bags of Skittles—presumably Johnny Gaudreau’s drink of choice and one of his favourite snacks—to add to a large makeshift memorial outside the Scotiabank Saddledome, which has been growing since the news broke.

‘Johnny Was Always Our Favourite’

Audrey Buston (L) and her friend Ali Cassels at the candlelight vigil honouring former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew outside the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sept. 4, 2024. Carolina Avendano/The Epoch Times

Audrey Buston, 26, has been a Flames fan since she was a child. Tears welled up in her eyes as she approached the memorial.

“I used to watch the games with my dad, and he recently passed away too a couple months ago, and Johnny was always our favourite,” she told The Epoch Times. “So, it made me sad for a couple of reasons, but it was also nice to think about all the memories that he gave us.”

Buston is attending nursing school and coaches kids’ summer hockey. She learned the tragic news the morning after the incident, before leaving for her hockey lessons. She said she’ll always remember when Gaudreau scored an overtime winning goal against the Dallas Stars. “One of the coolest hockey moments I’ve ever seen,” she said.

Buston attended the vigil with her friend, Ali Cassels. Although not as big a fan as her friend, Cassels said she was inspired by the way the Flames brought the city together.

“It just shows that this city comes together like no other, and I think that Gaudreau was such a big part of that for so long,” she said. “He made this city come alive.”

For Cassels, Gaudreau’s legacy is that “nothing comes first other than kindness.”

‘A Wonderful Man, Son, Husband, and Father’

Flames general manager Craig Conroy speaks at the candlelight vigil honouring former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew outside the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sept. 4, 2024. Carolina Avendano/The Epoch Times

Flames general manager Craig Conroy was among the speakers at the event. He shared memories of when he first met “Johnny Hockey”—Gaudreau’s popular nickname—and how his first impression was that Gaudreau was too short to be a good hockey player. Gaudreau eventually proved him wrong.

“I had a privilege, front row, watching him go from a young boy [and] mature into an NHL superstar, but more importantly, grow into a wonderful man, son, husband, and father,” said Conroy, who was grateful for the large vigil turnout, but not surprised, given the brothers’ legacy.

Edmonton Oilers Fans Show Support

Paige Liebreich (L) and her friend Kyra MacDonald at the candlelight vigil honouring former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew outside the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sept. 4, 2024. Carolina Avendano/The Epoch Times

Paige Liebreich, a Calgary fan of the Edmonton Oilers, said despite the rivalry between her team and the Flames, unity within the hockey community is strong, noting that fans from both teams support each other in times of tragedy.

Liebreich, 22, praised Gaudreau’s humility and kindness. “When you get so famous, it’s hard, you lose a sense of yourself,” she told The Epoch Times. “I feel like he was always really genuine, always really nice ... you could feel in his eyes how kind of a person he was.”

A similar sentiment was expressed by Matt Melmyk, a lifelong Edmonton Oilers fan who attended the vigil to support a Calgary Flames fan and friend. He was devastated when he heard the news, and even as an Oilers fan had admired Gaudreau’s hockey skills. “As a hockey fan in general, you know you have to support everybody,” he said.

‘A Calgary Legend’

Message written by Paige Liebreich and Kyra MacDonald on the pavement next to the Saddledome arena after a candlelight vigil honouring former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in Calgary on Sept. 4, 2024. Carolina Avendano/The Epoch Times

Flames fan Kyra MacDonald attended the vigil with her Oilers-supporting friend, Liebreich. She said she heard Gaudreau’s name a lot growing up because her father is a “die-hard Flames fan.”

For MacDonald, Gaudreau’s passing was a hard loss, especially for the many children for whom he was an idol. “I know so many people who have loved him and have looked up to him for so long,” she said. “He was a Calgary legend.”

As the fans began to leave after the vigil, Tim Haney reached down to the ground, chalk in hand, and wrote a tribute to Gaudreau, adding to the sea of messages that fans have chalked over the days on the concrete next to the arena.

“Just keep cheering,” was Haney’s message to Flames fans. And just like the blazing ‘C’ on his jersey, Haney said he will be a “flaming ‘C’ for life.”