Ahead of an emotional hockey match between the Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Saddledome on Tuesday, a bench and plaque were unveiled in honour of former Flame Johnny Gaudreau, and his brother Matthew.
The Gaudreau family was in attendance at the Flames Community Arena Tuesday to mark the occasion, including parents Jane and Guy, sisters Katie and Kristen, Johnny’s widow, Meredith, and their children.
Tuesday will be the first matchup between the teams in Calgary since the brothers were tragically killed in August by an alleged drunk driver.
The bench is one of five made from the 229 hockey sticks left outside the Saddledome as a tribute to the pair in the wake of the accident.
Other items left outside the arena — Skittles, Gatorade, jerseys, and stuffed animals, were also used to benefit local charities.
The Flames Foundation says the 124 jerseys will be used to make quilts that will be given to local charities, while the 103 toys were donated to Parachutes for Pets.
The organization also donated 13 cents to the Calgary Food Bank for every single Skittle left on the steps; with 105,563 candies, $13,723 was donated, which will provide hampers for 130 families.
Additionally, the 1,600 purple Gatorades left at the Saddledome were emptied and donated to the KidSport Calgary recycling program, a charity for which Johnny was a long-time supporter and ambassador.
“To see the outpouring of support and love in the form of everything that was left at the steps of the Saddledome, to see that go back into the community from Calgarians for Calgarians from people all over Alberta, is significant,” said Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation CEO, Candice Goudie.
“We are really happy [the items] could be made into things that could be memorialized into things that will both memorialize Johnny and Matthew for a very long time.”
She says that in the coming weeks, four more benches will be made and placed at community arenas throughout the city.
Guy also took part in Flames’ practice on Monday.