For Johnny and Matthew: Blue Jackets to play their home opener with Gaudreaus in mind

Johnny Gaudreau’s Columbus teammates have been given a few options for how to handle their emotions during the Blue Jackets’ home opener.

If you want to cry, cry.

If you want to laugh, laugh.

The only rules — play the game the way “Johnny Hockey” would, and with him in mind.

An emotional night awaits in Columbus on Tuesday, when the Blue Jackets host the Florida Panthers. It will be a night of tributes to Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets’ star who would have been entering his third season with the club and 11th NHL season overall, and his brother Matthew Gaudreau. They were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding their bicycles on a rural road in New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.

“It’s such an unprecedented thing and something that obviously none of us wanted to go through, and nobody ever wants to go through it,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said Monday as final preparations for the celebration of the Gaudreaus were being made. “But we have to.”

The 31-year-old Gaudreau wore jersey No. 13 for the Blue Jackets. Matthew Gaudreau — who was 29 and played five pro seasons in the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League and in Sweden — wore jersey No. 21. All 32 NHL teams are wearing decals on their helmets with 13, 21 and the letter G on their helmets through Oct. 24. USA Hockey has a similar tribute for its teams at all levels this year.

On Tuesday, the “13” tributes will be almost everywhere. Both the Blue Jackets and Panthers will take the ice for warmups wearing jerseys bearing the name Gaudreau and jersey number 13; those sweaters will be auctioned and raffled off to benefit the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation. There’s “13” on the ice behind the goals. All fans in attendance will receive a “13” patch, the ones Blue Jackets players will be wearing on their jerseys this season.

And they say the game starts at 7 p.m., but really, puck drop is at 7:13.

“Whatever they need,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Monday. “Whatever the fans need, whatever the team needs to start that healing process, we’d be proud to be a part of it.”

Gaudreau — all of 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds — was a star at Boston College before making it to the NHL, his debut coming in Calgary’s finale for the 2013-14 season. His first goal came on his first shot in his first game, and his star only kept shining brighter from there.

The player who fished the puck out of the net after Gaudreau’s first goal was Sean Monahan, his teammate then in Calgary and his teammate now in Columbus.

“I saw it firsthand. He had an impact on so many people,” Monahan said. “I mean, players that played against him are a fan of his and watch him and study his game and try and be like him.”

Monahan likely never aspired to be a donkey. Going forward, the Blue Jackets will clamor to be called one.

Johnny Gaudreau used that term — “donkey” — freely and endearingly around friends and teammates. The Blue Jackets have had a celebration for about a decade where the player of the game gets to wear a Civil War-style kepi hat, the recipient selected by the previous player recipient. The kepi is retired. The player of the game now gets a donkey hat. Monahan was the first to receive it.

“I’m really happy that we’ve kind of switched it up,” Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “I think it’s fitting for us. It was a great idea. And, you know, we wish the little guy was still here calling us that, But Monny is the right guy to get that the first time, for sure.”

Guy Gaudreau, the late brothers' father and a longtime coach, was on the ice with the Blue Jackets for practice in Columbus on Monday and planned to be back for morning skate on Tuesday. Members of the family will be at the game. The tributes will not stop with this game. They'll keep going, one way or another, for years to come.

“There's going to be some tough moments, no doubt about it,” Gudbranson said. “We still miss him.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues players stand for a moment of silence for Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

The number, 13, worn by former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau, is displayed during a memorial ceremony prior to an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

The number, 13, worn by former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau, is displayed during a memorial ceremony prior to an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger, left, and Minnesota Wild center Frederick Gaudreau, center, follow the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Seattle Kraken players stand for a moment of silence for Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) stands on a No. 13 on the ice honoring former Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

President-elect Donald Trump's billionaire ally Elon Musk played a key role this week in killing a bipartisan funding proposal that would have prevented a government shutdown, railing against the plan in a torrent of more than 100 X posts that included multiple false claims.

The X owner, an unelected figure, not only used his outsize influence on the platform to help sway Congress, he did so without regard for the facts and gave a preview of the role he could play in government over the next four years.

“Trump has got himself a handful with Musk,” John Mark Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, said in an email. “Trump’s done this kind of thing before, blowing up a bill at the last minute. This time, though, it looks like he was afraid of Musk upstaging him. Now there’s a new social media bully in town, pushing the champion social media bully around.”

Hansen added: “We’ll see what Musk’s influence is when he runs up against reality — like when he proposes cutting off ‘wasteful’ spending for other people but not NASA contracts for Space-X.”

Musk’s objections to the 1,547-page omnibus bill included misinformation about congressional salaries, federal funding and public health preparedness, among other topics.

He alleged that the plan included a 40% raise for lawmakers. But the maximum pay increase possible through the proposal would have been 3.8%, according to the Congressional Research Service.

One way that members of Congress can receive a pay raise is through automatic adjustments that go into effect unless denied by law. Most members make $174,000 per a year after their last increase of 2.8% in 2009. Congressional leadership is the exception, with the Speaker of the House earning the most at $223,500 annually.

The rejected bill struck a section from a previous appropriations act that denied members of Congress this automatic pay raise. A maximum increase of 3.8% would have bumped their annual salary by about $6,600, to approximately $180,000 annually.

Musk also shared a post from another user that falsely claimed the bill provided $3 billion in funding for a potential new stadium for the NFL's Washington Commanders, commenting: “This should not be funded by your tax dollars!”

The bill included a provision to transfer control of the land that houses RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia. That transfer is necessary to pave the way for the Commanders to possibly build a new stadium in the franchise's old home — though the team is still considering other locations.

However, no such funding is provided by the bill. It states, in fact, that the federal government “shall not be responsible for payment or any costs or expenses” that the District of Columbia incurs after the transfer is complete aside from responsibilities related to specific environmental issues.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed false claims about the stadium's funding on Thursday, calling them “frustrating.”

“It was stated that the C.R. contains $3 billion for a stadium,” she said at a press conference. "All wrong. There are no federal dollars related to the transfer of RFK and in fact, the legislation does not require or link at all to a stadium.

Bowser added that she has reached out to the Trump administration to correct misinformation about this issue.

In a third post, Musk incorrectly claimed that “We're funding bioweapon labs in this bill!”

The plan provided funds for up to 12 regional biocontainment research laboratories, not facilities for creating bioweapons. It stipulates that among their uses, the labs will conduct biomedical research to prepare for biological agents such as emerging infectious diseases.

A spokesperson for Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.

Some members of Congress expressed dismay that Musk had disseminated misinformation about the bill.

“I love you Elon but you need to take 5 seconds to check your sources before highlighting bottom feeders looking for clicks,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, wrote on X.

In a hastily convened Thursday evening vote, the House rejected a new Trump-backed bill whittled down to 116 pages, with the bill failing 174-235. Dozens of Republicans joined Democrats in opposition.

The House finally approved a third spending deal Friday evening, and the Senate followed suit early Saturday. President Joe Biden planned to sign it into law later Saturday.

Trump led Republicans into the longest government shutdown in history in his first term during the 2018 Christmas season, and interrupted the holidays in 2020 by tanking a bipartisan COVID-relief bill and forcing a do-over.

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - President-elect Donald Trump listens to Elon Musk as he arrives to watch SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lift off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Nov. 19, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP, File)