The story also includes an editor’s note arguing that the original intent of the remark was to honor Gaudreau’s impact, not to offend.

Editor’s note: …A prediction about the Columbus Blue Jackets winning the draft lottery has been changed to remove a comment about the late Johnny Gaudreau looking down on the team from heaven. The intent was to honor Gaudreau, not offend. The wording was poorly chosen. Daily Faceoff regrets the error and apologizes to anyone who was hurt by the comment.

Seravalli, a former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, also personally apologized, saying, “Especially as a member of the Philly hockey community, I, like so many others in the hockey world, am absolutely devastated by the deaths of John and Matty. This tragedy is a difficult subject that we all grapple with, and what I wrote was never intended to contribute to it.

Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew died after they were hit by a man who has since been charged with drunk driving. The brothers were bicycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, near their hometown in Salem County at the time.