A home opener in sports is supposed to be full of adrenaline and excitement – ​​but Tuesday night in Columbus was completely different.

The Blue Jackets were back on their home ice for the first time in the 2024-25 season. It was also their first home game since the death of their star Johnny Gaudreau.

Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, ages 31 and 29 respectively, were killed in late August by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their New Jersey hometown the day before their sister’s wedding.

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Columbus Blue Jackets players warm up before the game against the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena on October 15, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. Players from both teams wear warmup jerseys with the number 13 in memory of Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed by a motorist along with his brother while cycling in Salem County, New Jersey, in August. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Makeshift memorials popped up almost immediately in both Columbus and Calgary, where he played his first eight NHL seasons.

There have been moments of silence and other tributes all over the NHL since the season began last week, but Columbus waited and they didn’t disappoint as they honored their fallen star.

The team announced that a memorial containing game-worn equipment and a replica locker, as well as items from the fan memorial, was placed in the arena.

A memorial honoring Johnny Gaudreau displayed before the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena on October 15, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

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During warmups, both the Blue Jackets and the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers wore Gaudreau jerseys with his number 13.

The team also hung Gaudreau’s No. 13 in the rafters.

Then, as the puck dropped, Columbus entered the ice with just four players, without a left winger, the position Gaudreau played. Both the Panthers and Blue Jackets left 13 seconds off the clock.

Gaudreau’s father, Guy, joined the team for morning skating on Monday and Tuesday.

“It looked like he was just having fun,” Jackets head coach Dean Evason said. “I just have fun skating. I said to him, ‘Anytime you want to come out, you’re welcome.'”

Guy Gaudreau attended a Philadelphia Flyers practice last month. The Gaudreaus live just outside of Philly.

Fans mourn at the makeshift memorial fans erected for Blue Jackets hockey player Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, August 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)

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According to New Jersey State Police, the Gaudreau brothers were riding bicycles on a road when 43-year-old Sean Higgins, who was traveling in the same direction, attempted to pass two other vehicles around 8:30 p.m. ET. and hit her from behind.

They were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Higgins was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. He was charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter and was booked into the Salem County Correctional Facility.

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