All 32 NHL teams will honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau with special helmet decals to start the 2024-25 NHL regular season.
The decals will be worn by all players in all games through Oct. 24, when the Los Angeles Kings host the San Jose Sharks in the final home opener of the season.
The decals feature the letter G in the middle for Gaudreau, and No. 13 on the left for Johnny and No. 21 on the right for Matthew. The Gaudreau brothers were killed Aug. 29 when they were struck by a car while riding bikes near their home in Salem County, New Jersey.
The New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres will be the first to wear the decals when they open the 2024-25 NHL regular season Friday at O2 Arena in Prague in the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia Presented by Fastenal (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, MSGSN, MSG-B). The teams also play a regular-season game in Prague on Saturday (10 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, MSGSN, MSG-B).
The NHL regular season in North America starts Oct. 8 with three games.
Sabres players had the decals on their helmets during their practices Monday in Prague.
“I think it’s an incredible tribute to an incredibly sad situation,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “We as a league, we as a team, have to try to honor these guys for what they did for the game.”
Johnny, 31, played 11 NHL seasons, nine for the Calgary Flames and two for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matthew, 29, played professionally for five seasons in the American Hockey League, ECHL and Sweden.
The Blue Jackets and Flames held candlelight vigils for the brothers a week after their deaths.
Teams around the NHL showed a special video honoring the brothers before their preseason games.
Sabres forward Connor Clifton said he was surprised when he saw the decal on his helmet Monday, something he called “awesome.”
“Just great people. A Jersey family,” Clifton said. “It’s just a terrible story, so preventable. It hit the hockey community pretty hard.”
On Thursday, USA Hockey announced U.S. national teams will also wear decals to honor Johnny and Matthew at all levels this season, as well as by the two teams in USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.
The decal artwork includes stars floating toward the heavens with the Gaudreau name and the jersey numbers of Johnny (13) and Matthew (21).
“Johnny and Matthew, along with their families, will forever be a part of the USA Hockey family,” Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey, said. “This is a small way to not only honor their memory, but help keep their wonderful spirit for our great game and life in general in the forefront.”
