NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 30, 2024

by | Aug 30, 2024 | News, NHL | 35 comments

Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau has passed away. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau have died after being struck by a vehicle while riding their bikes in Oldman Township, Salem County, New Jersey. The accident occurred on Thursday evening.

The Blue Jackets confirmed the tragic news this morning. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement expressing shock and sadness over Gaudreau’s tragic passing.

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau (NHL Images).

The Gaudreau family was together for the wedding of their sister Katie, who was supposed to be getting married on Aug. 30.

Gaudreau emerged as an NHL star with the Calgary Flames in 2014-15. Nicknamed “Johnny Hockey”, he was regularly among the Flames’ leading scorers, tallying a career-high 115 points in 2021-22 and 99 points in 2018-19.

Signed by the Blue Jackets as a free agent, Gaudreau was their leading scorer during the last two seasons. He was entering the third season of his seven-year contract with the Blue Jackets.

In 763 NHL regular-season games, Gaudreau had 243 goals and 500 assists for 743 points. He also had 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 42 playoff contests.

Gaudreau leaves behind his wife Meredith and two young children. Johnny was 31 years old, his brother Matthew was 29.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’m in shock right now over this devastating news. My heart goes out to Gaudreau’s family, his friends, his current and former teammates. My sincere condolences as well to the Blue Jackets and the Flames.

*****

OTTAWA SUN: Senators head coach Travis Green said his players should be ready to work when they report for training camp on Sept. 18.

Green was named head coach of the Senators on May 7. He indicated he’s met with all of his players, informing them of his expectations for this season, emphasizing their offseason conditioning, and the importance of being in shape for camp.

Center Josh Norris is fully recovered from his season-ending shoulder surgery. Green said Norris will be a full participant in training camp.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy Norris will be crucial to the Senators’ playoff hopes this season. He had a promising 35-goal, 55-point performance in 66 games during 2021-22 but has been derailed by shoulder surgeries limiting him to 58 games over the past two seasons.

The Senators also announced free agent forward Nick Cousins signed a one-year $800K contract. Cousins, 30, won the Stanley Cup last season with the Florida Panthers.

Meanwhile, team president Cyril Leeder said the club expects to have a decision on the future of their proposed LeBreton Flats arena project by the end of September. Leeder admitted he’s disappointed there hasn’t been more progress in negotiations with the National Capital Commission (NCC) but remains cautiously optimistic they’ll get a deal in place.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicated Senators owner Michael Andlauer remains bullish on constructing an arena in downtown Ottawa but seeks a lease agreement that is fair to both sides. The Senators play at Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, over 22 km (13.6 miles) from downtown.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers winger Evander Kane posted a video on Instagram alleging a white man on a bicycle spat on his vehicle and used racist language toward him.

That’s what you just said: “You people don’t belong here,” Kane is heard addressing the man. A third man identifying as Kane’s friend adds, “That’s not a good statement.”

It’s incredibly disappointing,” said Kane following the incident. “There are still people like this today.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s beyond disappointing.

THE ATHLETIC: In an interview with Michael Russo, Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz explained why he traded promising Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks last week.

Trotz believes Askarov has the skills and confidence to become an excellent goaltender. However, he felt the 22-year-old netminder currently lacks the elite mindset and mental preparation to reach that level.

He based that opinion on his years working with well-respected goaltending coach Mitch Korn. “The mental part, the physical part, the emotional part all have to get to a very mature state to have a lot of consistency in this game.”

The Predators signed starting goaltender Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension and added veteran backup Scott Wedgewood last month with a two-year contract. Askarov told the club he wouldn’t report to their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee and requested a trade.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trotz believes Askarov will reach that elite level with more consistency. However, he’s invested in Saros for the next eight years as he’s attempting to build the Predators into a Stanley Cup contender.

The Predators are in “win-now” mode following their offseason signings of wingers Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei. Trotz wanted established NHL goalies on his roster. He and his staff had a plan to develop Askarov’s game but the young netminder saw that as an obstacle in his path to becoming an NHL starter.

DAILY FACEOFF: Carolina Hurricanes winger Jesper Fast is expected to miss the 2024-25 season following neck surgery on Aug. 6. The 32-year-old winger is in the final season of his contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fast will be placed on injured reserve rather than long-term injury reserve. That’s because the Hurricanes have over $6.4 million in cap space this season.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs won’t be playing for Latvia in their upcoming Olympic qualifier this weekend. The 23-year-old goaltender is dealing with knee ligament inflammation but it’s not expected to keep him out of Canucks training camp, which opens on Sept. 19.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks are already dealing with the potential absence of starter Thatcher Demko during training camp and preseason as he rehabs a nagging undisclosed injury.

They’re reportedly considering their options to shore up their goaltending depth. Silovs’ ailment could put more urgency into their search.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs announced Steve Sullivan will join their AHL affiliate as an assistant coach.







35 Comments

  1. Heartfelt condolences to the Gaudreau family. Truly tragic.

  2. Well that tragic news wasn’t something I like to wake up and read! That poor family. My heart goes out to them.

    • Disturbing to read in the above link is that the driver of the Jeep that struck them might have been under the influence.

  3. That’s awful news!!! Just puts everything into perspective. You never know how life is going to unfold. Feel for them and their families. That is heartbreaking Hockey is a game that we all love but this is life!!

  4. On the weekend of the wedding. With both of them being groomsmen….like….cancel the wedding at this point and rebook down the road. How do you even continue? The driver remained on scene, no mention of alcohol or impairment.

    Sighhh

    Ottawa news. Oh Travis Green says the players should be prepared to work? HE better be prepared — to work — to do SOMETHING. Everywhere he and his shiny assistant have gone they’ve been losers. Prove us wrong but he’s already coaching under extreme scrutiny. Andlauer is a smart guy. So is Cyril Leeder. If they’re as smart as I hope they’ll keep as far away from the NCC and that site as possible. Talk to the mayor, there are better locations. Talk to Public Works, the feds are practically giving away old buildings right now. The old RCMP HQ at Vanier pwky and the 417 would be ideal. It’s right along major transit. It’s right along the light rail corridor and it’s just central enough you might not lose your west end fans. Huge site. Hotel and conference center next door. Bam. Ottawa U next door, training facilities, you got a baseball stadium down the road, St. laurent. That spot would be awesome.

    • Darg G, there is suspicion of drunk driving as noted in the link above from the Columbus Blue Jackets

      “Police said the driver, 43-year-old Sean Higgins of Woodstown, N.J., attempted to pass a slower vehicle when he hit the Gaudreau brothers,” CBS Philadelphia said. “Higgins was detained under suspicion he was under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto.”

      • Truly horrible! What a shocking tragedy! And at a time that the family was about to celebrate a happy occasion. Sincerest condolences to the Gaudreau family.
        As George notes, the driver is suspected as being under the influence. This happened at night on a poorly lit and narrow country road.

      • Driver passed on the RIGHT of a slower driver!

  5. Just shows how fragile life really is. RIP. Seems it was a drunk driver to make it even more tragic

    • The extent of the tragedy, from the sudden deaths of two young men in the prime of their lives right through to the devastating impact on a loving family that was getting ready for the happy occasion of the wedding of their sister today, certainly does put things into perspective, Mrbruin4.

      • Indeed it does George

      • And as I sit here at my keyboard I can’t help thinking about their sister and parents and her fiance … how do two families hit SO hard even begin to think about a re-scheduled wedding – and even when they do it really can’t occur without a deep sense of sadness hanging over the proceedings.

  6. Wow. Just so sad. I read that and immediately I wanted to hug my children. I’ll have to wait till schools out but it’ll be the first thing I do.

    • This is all terribly sad and shocking to wake up to and I’m sure we are all passing love to the Gaudreau family..and friends !!!

      Give your loved ones, your dogs and those closest to you an extra hug today…..and everyday because life can be taken so quick and is not promised..

  7. Very sad day.

    Condolences out to the entire Gaudreau extended family and friends.

    We as fans mourn the loss of A prominent and talented NHLer

    The Gaudreau extended family has tragically lost TWO sons (grandsons, husbands, brothers, uncles, cousins, fathers, brothers-in-law, sons-in-law etc etc)

    and lost them in a horrific way ; and only 2 days before what was to be a happy and memorable event (wedding of their sister)

    My prayers go out to them

  8. How absolutely devastating this is for the Gaudreau family.

    Losing two of your children, losing your Dad and Uncle, losing two of your brothers in such a senseless way.

    Now they have to prepare for two funerals, when they were gathering to celebrare a wedding.

    Such terrible sad news. My condolences to their family and friends. Prayers to them all.

  9. Tragic in every sense of the word. Reports indicate the driver was impaired. These tragedies occur daily. The campaign against impaired driving has been around for decades and yet people still get behind the wheel while impaired. Sadly it will continue because governments and lawmakers can’t seem to come up with a penalty that is severe enough to curb the behaviour. It’s 2024. We all should know better by now. Heartfelt condolences to the Gaudreau family. Sadly for them life will never be the same.

    • Finland takes away their license for LIFE if caught drunk driving. It works there!

      • Shocking and sad news. I can’t imagine. And like others are saying, take nothing for granted.

        Penalties are not always the best solution to solving a problem like this. Especially when the decision being made is done while intoxicated, often by addicts/alcoholics.

        The technology exists to prevent a car from starting if you are impaired. Guys who have been convicted of impaired driving have them installed in their vehicles for a period of time, at least here in AB. Might be mandatory, I dunno.

        Yes it adds cost, but the government spends a whole bunch of money enforcing, prosecuting, sometimes incarcerating, rehabbing or attempting to rehab, these folks. That’s annoying too.

        Put the devices in vehicles, gov kicks in what they spend today on above, problem solved. Cost of these units would go way down as well.

        Won’t ever happen, nanny state and all that jazz, and I get that, and part of my brain agrees. But also, if you don’t drink, it is only a minor inconvenience. Question is, is it worth it? It definitely is for folks who have been convicted before, can’t own a car without one. Forever.

        Feel free to disagree.

      • Ray, there are 7 billion of us here on Earth – if those convicted of impaired driving lose their right to drive for, say, 5 years and those who killed or maimed others while under the influence lose theirs for life, it would constitute a miniscule percentage of the total population – there can be absolutely NO sympathy.

      • Who mentioned sympathy George?

        I made a suggestion that would solve the problem. Would it or wouldn’t it? Of course it would, cars would not start if you were impaired. Too far as it impacts the majority of folks who do not drink and drive, ya, probably.

        Please don’t conflate what I said to being on the side of impaired drivers as I did not say that.

      • No, Ray – that was not my intention … apologize for any misunderstanding … that summary was just to reflect the way I see how those idiots should be handled.

        SO hard, sometimes, to get the sense of what you’re trying to impart through text where you can’t use voice inflections and facial expressions.

        And, for the record, I agree that automakers should be required to have such devices as part and parcel of their designs – same as headlights and brakes.

        Provisions should also be put in place to have anyone driving an older vehicle get it installed.

        And if some smart twit figures out a way to bypass the device … and gets caught … nail their hide to the friggen wall!

      • That we can agree 100% on George.

  10. I have no words. How absolutely awful. Condolences and love to the entire Gaudreau family.

  11. Tragic in every sense of the word. Reports indicate that the driver was impaired. The message of not driving while being impaired has been around for decades. Sadly, these tragedies will continue as governments and lawmakers can’t seem to come up with penalties that are severe enough that they will act as a deterrent. My heartfelt condolences to the Gaudreau family whose lives will never be the same. And yet tomorrow, when we read our local news, we find yet again that another family has been devastated by an impaired driver.

  12. Very Sad day, with news this am about
    Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau & brother Matthew Gaudreau.
    Our Condolences to the Gaudreau family,

  13. I woke up this morning to check the baseball scores from last night and the first item on my feed was this horrible news. It was like getting punched in the gut, young people athletes or not aren’t supposed to die like this.

    My second reaction was August 29th 1977 when Bob Gassoff was killed in a motorcycle accident during a team party at Garry Unger’s farm in rural Missouri and how tragic that was. But this is so much more devastating because life is so precious and now I have so much more appreciation for each day that I can enjoy. My wife was hit by a drunk driver several years after the Gassoff tragedy and while she survived it altered our lives to a point that effects of that afternoon are felt to this day almost 40 years later. I will never forget having to tell our children that their mom was in the hospital and wouldn’t be home for a long time.

    I’m not comparing this to the Johnny G. news other than to point out that you never forget or get completely past these types of senseless tragedies. And at some point as human beings when are we going to get serious about drinking and driving. I can’t speak to the Canadian lifestyle but in the states alcohol is available on every corner whether it’s a grocery store, liquor store, gas station, quick shop etc. and that doesn’t even take into account all of the bars whose only purpose is to allow people to sit and get hammered then drive home.

    Sorry for the rant but this news struck a chord in me. My condolences and prayers to all of the family members and friends that are now and will be forever haunted by this senseless accident. Go hug your kids and grandchildren and count your blessings.

    • No, a good rant Snold 49 … very well said.

      The availability of booze here in Canada is no better than you describe – and in the case of beer has even just been extended to convenience stores and the like.

      Whatever else happens in the wake of this tragedy, at the very LEAST there should be a zero-tolerance provision in the law – you’re caught driving under the influence (and that includes drugs) you lose your right to drive a powered vehicle for life.

  14. Losing a hockey game or even a playoff series doesn t mean that much anymore! Reality vs a Game!

  15. There are just so many things wrong with the accident, DUI and passing on the right side. Sad to hear this due to some people doing what they think they are entitled to.

    A day of celebration turned into a day of disaster.

  16. Copied from CBJ blog:
    “Local station, WPVI, confirmed what happened (1). The Gaudreaus were riding bikes on Country Route 551 in Oldmans – which is like farmland, so not much in the way of lighting or room beyond the road – on the side of the road. A Jeep was behind a sedan and a SUV. The Jeep passed the sedan but the SUV moved to the middle of the road since they saw the bikers. The Jeep then decided to pass the SUV on the right and hit the bikers from behind. The deaths were from the injuries from the hit. The driver was found under the influence of alcohol and has been charged with two counts of death by automobile.”

    • Johnny Z, this just pisses me off!

      What was the big f-ing hurry!

      He’ll be in no rush anymore, as he will get to rethink his decision over and over everyday while he is behind bars and for the rest of his life.

      • I’d like to see him forced to ride a bike down the 401 near Toronto in rush hour.

    • Thanks Johnny Z. So now we have is a larger vehicle, an intoxicated driver, poor visibility and high speed. Tragic and so unnecessary. Ray. I agree technology has a role to play in this but there are always ways around technology. I would be shocked if this was his first time behind the wheel intoxicated. I would agree that intoxicated people make poor decisions but before he became intoxicated he was sober and while sober if he knew there were very undesirable penalties for driving while intoxicated then maybe he makes a different decision as to how to get home after a night of drinking. Maybe. And if he doesn’t, how about a tiered automatic jail time that is based on how much you blow over?

  17. Prayers and condolences to the Gaudreau family, friends, and those inspire by Johnny and Matthew.

    Johnny was a great person and player. He will be missed. Hearts are heavy with the Flames and Blue Jackets.