How Blue Jackets’ Sean Monahan found joy again after the death of best friend Johnny Gaudreau

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The car was packed and ready to go. It was late in the evening on Aug. 29, 2024, and Sean Monahan and his wife, Brittany, were set to leave Oakville, Ont., a Toronto suburb, and drive through the night so that 3-month-old Leo could spend the six hours sleeping.

It was a family affair. Monahan’s parents, John and Cathy, had their car packed to the gills, too, but with enough room for their son’s dog, Winston. They were headed to Columbus, where the Monahans were excited to start a new adventure.

“That’s when I got the call,” Monahan said. “That’s how I found out Johnny had passed.”

Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were struck and killed while riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, N.J., the evening before their sister Katie was to be married, and just a few weeks before Monahan and Gaudreau — best of friends since playing together as Calgary Flames — were to start training camp and be reunited as Columbus Blue Jackets.

Gaudreau, who had played two seasons in Columbus, was the main reason Monahan, one of the NHL’s top two-way centers, would even consider signing as a free agent with the Jackets. Frankly, Monahan joked, Gaudreau’s recruiting pitch was a little intense.

“I’d get 40 (texts) a day from him some days, I swear,” Monahan smiled. “He was so excited. I was so excited. Our families were excited.

“We were looking forward to playing together again, of course. But we were both really excited to raise our kids together.”

But right before they could get started, it was taken away.

“It was obviously devastating,” Monahan said. “We didn’t leave. We couldn’t leave. We took a couple of days, and then we drove down and got Leo situated in Columbus, and then a couple of days later, we went to Philadelphia to see Mere (Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith) and the kids.

“Life went upside down.”

In the days that followed, Monahan wasn’t sure if it was going to work in Columbus, he said. The car sat packed in the driveway for a couple of days.

When grief makes every hour seem interminable, it’s hard to even consider the future. Did he even want to be in Columbus without Gaudreau? Could he even care about hockey?

“I wasn’t sure, to be honest,” Monahan said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was in Columbus for a while and I couldn’t bring myself to the rink. It was hard.

“I was pushed to come to the rink by a few of the people around me, and once I got here, it really helped me out to be there. I had a lot of support from Mere. She’s a very strong person, and that’s something that helped me get by.”

As the Blue Jackets play out the final days of the season, there has been a clutch of superlative performances that helped make the Jackets one of the NHL’s best stories: Zach Werenski’s stellar all-around play, Kirill Marchenko’s goal scoring, Mathieu Olivier’s mix of power and production, 20-year-old Adam Fantilli’s capacity to play as a No. 1 center, etc.

Nobody has been more impressive, though, than Monahan, who has centered one of the top lines in the NHL, served as a mentor to the Blue Jackets’ bevy of young players, and stood as an inspiration to every player in the dressing room.

SEAN MONAHAN SCORES IN HIS BLUE JACKETS HOME DEBUT!!!

What a moment. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ddwCMBBRKN

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 16, 2024

Every player in the dressing room has grieved Gaudreau’s death, but he and Monahan were best friends and kindred spirits. Even the veteran players, even those who have lived with grief in their own lives, have been awed by Monahan’s ability to play at a high level while modeling grace and vulnerability.

Monahan, 30, has been nominated by the Columbus chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies “perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

“When Johnny was here, he’d talk about Monny all the time,” Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner said. “Just the way Monny has persevered through really, really hard times. It’s been inspiring to me and to the whole group. The way he’s handled himself, just stepping in here under those circumstances.

“He’s been a leader in the room and a leader on the ice. He’s a true pro. Everyone can learn from him.”

Supporting cast

Monahan’s power-play goal on Tuesday in the Blue Jackets’ 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators kept him above a point a game for what would be the second time in his 12-year NHL career. With 18-32-50 in 49 games, he’s fourth on the club in points despite missing 28 games following wrist surgery in January.

Anybody who has followed or played in the NHL knows that Monahan is one of the league’s best two-way centers, but what the Blue Jackets have witnessed up close has been eye-opening.

Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason has marveled at the small plays he makes that can often go unnoticed. The stick lifts on opponents. The small touch passes that act as a relief valve when the puck is trapped in the defensive zone. The tactics he uses — subtle, surgical — to excel in the faceoff circle.

And also the way he’s helped the young players, especially the centers, enhance their games. It’s one of Fantilli’s favorite topics, especially the way Monahan has shown him how patience in the defensive zone can be beneficial.

“Oh my gosh, he’s been a huge help for me,” Fantilli told The Athletic earlier this year. “Part of it is being able to talk with a player like him, just pick his brain. And he’s been so receptive to that, so helpful. But a lot of it, too, is just watching him. So smart.

“I knew he was a really good player, obviously. He’s been in the league. I watched him growing up, right? But to be up close to him … I can absolutely learn something every day.”

Monahan’s least favorite topic, it seems, is Sean Monahan. He’s a bit shy in front of cameras anyway, but when asked flattering questions about his own game or performance, you can almost feel him cringe. These days, he’d rather talk about the supporting cast around him, and how they’ve lifted him this season.

It starts at home, he said, with Brittany and Leo.

“Leo is my world,” Monahan said of his now 11-month-old son. “It’s my favorite thing in the world, being a dad. He distracts me from hockey, for sure, when I’m home. He keeps me busy, keeps me on my toes. When I come to the rink … I think about him all the time.

“He’s a big reason why I’m having the success I am this year. I’m playing for a bunch of different reasons, but my son is a big reason. I want to make him proud. It’s a blessing being a father.”

Monahan laughed at what’s coming. Leo turns 1 next month, so he’ll be walking soon. He’ll also start picking up on the world around him, which means games at Nationwide Arena could be quite hysterical.

For many years, Blue Jackets fans have shouted “Leo!” in unison just before anthem singer Leo Welsh steps to the microphone.

“I love how the fans scream the name,” Monahan said. “Once (Leo) gets a little bit older and understands it, he’s going to love that, too.”

The other big part of Monahan’s support staff has been Meredith Gaudreau.

Many days this season after practice, Monahan has raced home to get Leo together to play with Gaudreau’s daughter, Noa, and son, Johnny Jr. In September, the entire Blue Jackets team attended Noa’s birthday party. In February, they did the same for Johnny Jr.

“Leo is a tank,” Monahan said. “Johnny is a tank. When they start to move, they’ll shed some weight. (They’ll be skating) as soon as possible. Are you kidding? Guy Gaudreau (Johnny’s father) will get the little guys up and moving.”

Meredith Gaudreau announced the birth of her third child, Carter Michael Gaudreau 🍼

(via Meredith Gaudreau on Instagram) pic.twitter.com/2W7u1lniC6

— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) April 7, 2025

Just last week, Monahan was full of emotion during the Blue Jackets’ 8-4 rout of Nashville in Nationwide Arena. It’s been a rough end to the season for the Blue Jackets, but this was a triumphant night that felt like many of their wins from earlier in the season.

Monahan had two goals, two assists and a plus-3 rating, one of his more productive nights on the season. He felt like there was a higher power at work, too.

When Meredith eulogized her husband at the funeral in Media, Pa., in early September, she made it public that she was pregnant. Carter Michael Gaudreau was born in the early hours of April 1.

“It was a pretty emotional day,” Monahan said. “Another part of John lives on. Everyone was hoping it was a little boy. He already looks like John, too. Before I left for the rink, I was on a FaceTime with my wife and Meredith. When I left, Mere said, ‘Go get Carter a couple of goals.’

“You get these signs, right? It’s been a crazy year.”

You wonder if all of this — the Blue Jackets and Monahan finding joy playing hockey, Monahan and others playing at a high level this season, etc. — would be happening if not for the strength and grace shown by Meredith.

During the eulogy, Meredith made a point of speaking directly to the Blue Jackets players, who were assembled together at the service.

By imploring them to honor Johnny Gaudreau by having fun at the rink, having fun playing hockey and having fun bonding as a team, she gave them emotional permission to go forth into the season with energy and passion. It was hard to care about hockey after the tragedy, but Gaudreau gave the players a purpose.

“That’s fair, for sure,” Monahan said. “She’s still at every game. She’s still being a great mom. It’s impressive that she does what she does. It would be so easy to stay isolated.

“I look at it this way: She’s one of the leaders on this team.”

‘Feels like home’

Gaudreau wasn’t Monahan’s only pull toward Columbus. It probably hasn’t been understood enough that Monahan has known Jenner for years, too. They’ve played against each other scores of times, way back into their Ontario Hockey League days, but they’ve also hung out together in the offseason with their mutual friend, Scott Laughton, who now plays for Toronto.

Monahan was also looking for a family-friendly city — big, but not too big, and close to his family in Ontario — to establish roots. Long before the free-agency bell rang on July 1, it was understood that Monahan was heading to Columbus.

“I had no idea what to expect signing here,” Monahan said. “It was my first time being a free agent. I talked to Boone and Johnny a ton, but I wasn’t sure what the situation was going to be or how the city was going to be. … I only knew that Johnny loved it. And Boone loves it, obviously.

“To be honest, the second I got here, it kind of felt like home right away. Great group of guys. Unbelievable coaches. Management really cares about the players. My parents have been here a bunch, and they’ve said the same thing. It’s home.”

The Jenners, the Monahans and the Gaudreaus all live on the same street — it’s a loop, really — in the tiny suburb of New Albany.

“I live 10 steps from Boone. It’s 30 steps to Meredith,” Monahan said, chuckling. “It’s a very tight community we live in. It’s a special place. When you’re home, you feel safe.”

Jenner and Monahan are wired similarly. Both are famously hard workers and players who would rather do the work than talk about it. They are publicly introverted — willing, but not excited by cameras and fanfare — but apparently quite different in their comfort zones.

Veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson has said that Monahan, who he’s played with in Calgary and now Columbus, is one of the funniest guys he’s met in the game. The humor is dry and sly, such that many may miss it, Gudbranson said.

Earlier this week, Monahan pulled one of his favorite gags.

On a whiteboard in the Blue Jackets dressing room, members of the public relations staff write the sweater numbers of the players who have been requested for interviews. That way, they don’t shower and slip out the back door without answering questions.

Monahan, who moves quietly about the room, grabbed the pen and added Gudbranson’s No. 44 to the list on Tuesday. After showering and dressing, Gudbranson came out to chat and found no takers.

“Was anybody looking for me?” Gudbranson asked, looking around the room. Reporters stared back blankly, and Gudbranson quickly put it together. “F—— Monny,” he said, with a smile.

Monahan has been enthralled with Marchenko — who has scored a career-high 31 goals playing mostly with Monahan this season — and not just because he has one of the best shots in the NHL.

It’s Marchenko’s boundless enthusiasm and passion.

“I don’t think I’ve ever talked between shifts with somebody as much as Marchy,” Monahan said. “He’s always looking for adjustments, things we can do better. I love that about him. His personality, as everybody knows, is just great. He lifts people.

“We have these great conversations where … (laughs) honestly, I don’t know what he’s saying half the time, ’cause it’s like half Russian and half English. But I always (laughs) think I know what he means. Does that even make sense?”

For those who know Monahan well, it’s been delightful to see him in this mode again. Gaudreau’s sweater still hangs in the stall right beside Monahan’s, and when he does step forward for interviews, he also steps to the side so that Gaudreau’s No. 13 sweater is right behind him.

It’s proof that you don’t move beyond grief as much as you learn to carry it.

“It’s really fun to come to the rink,” Monahan said. “Everybody loves being around each other. You’re just laughing all day, and it’s natural. You come to the rink, do your work and have fun. Nobody’s ever really slacking off. Everybody wants to win.

“I look at some of the teams I’ve played on, and you have friends for life. This team feels the same way. There are guys on the team who are 10 or 11 years younger than me, and it doesn’t matter. I enjoy being a hockey player with these guys, and I enjoy being a teammate with every guy here. It’s a joy.”

Blue Jackets fans sang Happy Birthday to Johnny Gaudreau Jr. during the TV timeout in Columbus.

Today is Baby Johnny’s first birthday. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/IqXYFbyiyr

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 23, 2025

The Blue Jackets’ first star player was Rick Nash, who observed in his early days that he could move about Columbus — a restaurant, the grocery store, etc. — without drawing attention or creating a scene. No way that would have been possible in Toronto or anywhere in Canada.

But as Nash spent more time in Columbus, he picked up on something. Plenty of people noticed him in public — the smiles, the nods, the whispers said as much — but he was mostly given space, other than a few young fans who approached.

Monahan has witnessed the same, he said.

“Everybody has so much respect,” Monahan said. “People are looking at you, and they give you a little wave or a smile. But there’s a small-town feel here in a decently sized city. I love that. I didn’t expect that, but I’ve found that. It’s cool.

“Playing in that building for those fans … there’s nothing like it for me.”

Last fall, when the tragedy was still raw and the calendar kept ticking closer to hockey season, it was only fair to wonder if Monahan could ever get to this point.

Everything is different now, of course. Some days are better than others. But there are good days, Monahan said. Hockey is once again a happy place. There is joy at home, too, watching his kids and the Gaudreau kids grow, learn, laugh and play.

“I came here for a reason, and that was taken away,” Monahan said. “It’s been a whirlwind. But I feel like I’ve played here in Columbus for more than a year, to be honest. It feels like I’ve been a part of it here for a long time.”

Then he paused and smiled.

“And it feels like I’m supposed to be here.”

(Photo: Matt Krohn / Imagn Images)

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