John Tortorella had a former hockey coach help him Monday at Philadelphia Flyers training camp — the father of the late John and Matthew Gaudreau, who was an invited guest.
The Flyers tapped their sticks in appreciation of Guy Gaudreau, a former hockey coach at Hollydell Ice Arena and Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, when he hit the ice to assist with drills during practice. The Flyers shook Gaudreau’s hand at the end of the skate in appreciation and thanked him for helping out.
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“He was hesitant at first, and we kind of let him go at his timetable,” Tortorella said. “I think it worked out really well today. I gave him my camp book. We're going to check in next week and see if we can get him out here a couple more times and have him be part of it. I don't want it to be, ‘Just come out here.’ I want him to be part of it. I think it will be therapeutic for him to be around us and run some drills.”
Tortorella said he had never met Gaudreau, a former hockey player and coach who raised his family nearby, until Monday's practice in New Jersey. Tortorella said Gaudreau had an open invitation to return and help the Flyers at any point.
“I never met Johnny and Matt in my travels as coach,” Tortorella told reporters at the Flyers' complex in Voorhees. "But their family's here. Horrific situation going on. He's a coach. He's done some great work with some of the youth out here. I figured it's perfect just to get him in with us.”
Tortorella joked that Gaudreau was giving him a hard time for yelling at players to skate harder during practice.
“A lot of people know him in the organization because of his reputation,” Tortorella said.
Tortorella attended the brothers' funeral last month in a Philadelphia suburb.
“I thought the two wives were so strong in how they handled themselves,” Tortorella said. “No one can imagine. No one can. I’m hoping to get to know the family. I think a number of coaches want to get to know the family, the girls, Matt’s family. It’s just horrible what happened. It’s still pretty fresh. It’s here. It’s with us. Down the street. We just want to be part of it and try and help.”
John Gaudreau's widow, Meredith, wrote on social media how much Tortorella's gesture meant to the family.
“John & Matty would love this. They’re both so proud of their dad, I know this made them smile as they watched down from heaven," she wrote, adding a heart emoji.
John Gaudreau, the Columbus Blue Jackets star, and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles on a rural road in South Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie's wedding. The driver who police say struck them is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
John Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
“We don't want it to be an everyday story,” Tortorella said. “We just want to help. To be in a locker room, coach to coach, player to coach, guys talking to him, I just hope it helps a little bit.”
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