Can lightning strike twice in the same place?
A long-time NHL club manager who has done a good job in Carolina for ten years Don Waddell66, moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets sports side boss in the summer to continue Jarmo Kekäläinen work done.
Born in Detroit, the long-time puck man didn’t guess what was to come in the first few meters.
No one guessed.
The entire hockey world was shocked at the end of August after hearing that the Columbus Yankee star Johnny Gaudreau who died together with his brother Matthew’s with in a car accident. A driver suspected of drunk driving ran over brothers who were on bicycles in traffic in New Jersey.
Before Waddell had time to properly start his work at the new club, a terrible tragedy was at hand. And it wasn’t the first time Waddell was in the situation.
In the fall of 2003, Waddell served as Atlanta’s GM when the forward Danny Heatley drove his car at a speed of 130 km into the wall, splitting it. Heatley, who also consumed alcohol – albeit below the legal limit – was seriously injured himself, but his teammate Dan Snyder died of his injuries a few days later.
Heatley avoided prison, at least in part, because the parents of the deceased player hoped so – one life was lost, there was no need to lose another. These did not become bitter, but supported Heatley.
When the news reached Dan Snyder’s parents last summer, they were the first to contact Don Waddell.
– When I woke up and saw the news, a minute passed and I thought that Don’s team had been hit again. I knew he had moved to Columbus. In such emotional moments, it is important to have support and love from someone, Graham Snyder stated recently in an interview with The Athletic.
Father Snyder knows from experience how Columbus copes with grief.
– How we survived and what is happening even now is how Columbus and the entire hockey world come together in moments like this. The hockey community is so united in moments like this. Thanks to this, Columbus will also survive, with the support of others.
Waddell agrees.
– Everyone grieves in their own way. You can’t expect people to go through this on their own. The players’ association has become an excellent support. Several professionals have been received from there for support.
“We don’t try to bury our feelings”
And twice more from lightning hitting the same place. If Waddell had experienced a similar tragedy before, the same can be said about Columbus as a club. Just three years earlier on America’s Independence Day, on the Fourth of July, a Latvian goalkeeper Matiss Kivlenieks25, died as a result of a fireworks accident.
It’s good if the old scars have faded, when new ones were scratched for many in the club.
– These are things that don’t just magically disappear by themselves. We carry them with us. We don’t try to bury our feelings, this is a new reality for us now. The season starts now, but we will carry these feelings with us for a long time, Waddell stated.
The highly experienced club manager’s advice is to take care of everyday life.
– We have to play hockey. We won’t forget Johnny or his family, but everyone knows that Johnny would want this team to play. His widow also (Meredith Gaudreau) spoke about this at the funeral and everyone is now behind the idea.
– Will there be dark days on our journey? I wouldn’t be surprised by them. It is the task of the club management and coaching to be on top of the situation and help, Waddell stated.
Gaudreau goes along
Both Columbus and other NHL clubs honor the memory of the brothers in many ways. All NHL clubs have put a sticker on their helmets in honor of the players. On both sides of the letter (G) placed according to the surname are the brothers’ game numbers 13 and 21.
Columbus also uses a helmet sticker, and in addition to that, a badge bearing the number 13 was sewn onto its home and away shirts.
The club replaces the traditional festivities of the first home game at the beginning of the week with an event where the memory of the brothers is honored and, for example, each spectator is given a commemorative bearing Johnny Gaudreau’s number found on the jersey.
In the team’s dressing room, Gaudreau still has his own place, as will also be the case on away trips, each of which will also take the jersey of the late star player.
And the club doesn’t want to forget humor either.
– We want to keep his memory alive. His place in the dressing room will remain. We tell stories, reminisce, laugh. He will be with us, the new head coach Dean Evason said to The Athletic.
– When we were making how-to videos for the training camp, someone asked if we should take Johnny out of them. We said no way. Johnny teaches through thick and thin. If he didn’t grow back, we’ll show it, Evason laughed.
Give strength to grief
In the midst of all the sadness, life goes on as long as the community remembers to support each other. It is followed for a long time by the editor of The Atlhetic who followed closely Aaron Portzline gives full credit to the club.
– The club has honored the player’s memory in a beautiful and respectable way and in such a way that the players have been able to find joy in each other and a purpose for playing hockey. Of course, there have been many difficult moments and a lot of tears along the way, but they will survive. All credit to the club for handling the matter, Portzline tells Urheilu.
On Saturday, the team took its first win of the season as a guest of Colorado. The prize for the best player, given by the team itself, was a donkey hat, which was worn in a television interview by a good friend and old teammate of the late Gaudreau from the Calgary days, Sean Monahan.
– If you knew Johnny, he probably called you a donkey thousands of times. This hat is for him, it makes us smile. He’s probably looking down at me right now laughing, Monahan noted.
Perhaps the team will turn sadness into a great asset to be more united and more than the sum of its parts.