Star Wears: Blue Jackets award Gaudreau-inspired ‘Donkey’ hat to player of game

Welcome to Star Wears, where our Short Shifts squad will highlight each participating NHL team’s unique and creative way to honor their player of the game after each victory, handing them a token of appreciation that usually lasts at least one season, and sometimes takes on a life of its own.

Team: Columbus Blue Jackets

Item: “Donkey” hat

Origin Story: The team used to give out a Civil War-style Kepi hat, as the Blue Jackets nickname derives from the Union Army. After that ran its course, the team was looking for a new token to give out. After All-Star forward Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic death in the summer of 2024, players all wanted to give out a token that was a nod to his life and NHL career. Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner and equipment manager Dustin “Dusty” Halstead went through a few different styles before settling on the current donkey hat, which also features a team logo on one side and Gaudreau’s No. 13 on the other.

City/Team connection (dubious or otherwise): The Blue Jackets found a way to honor Gaudreau and highlight his sense of humor. Gaudreau was known for calling anyone who played well a “donkey” to highlight their effort.

"If you knew John, he probably called you a donkey before. So that was his word. He called me a donkey probably a million times,” said Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan. “It's just a little something to remember him and obviously for after wins. It's there to remember Johnny in the best ways.”

Fun Fact: Donkeys can carry up to 30 percent of their body weight, which doesn’t seem like that much until you learn that some donkeys can grow to weigh roughly 1,200 pounds.

Quotable: After the Blue Jackets first win of the season, the donkey hat didn’t go to any player. Instead, Jenner awarded donkey hat in absentia to Quinn Halstead, the 12-year old daughter of the team’s aforementioned equipment manager, Dusty. Quinn plays for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets girls program and was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor and has undergone 10 surgeries to date. Dusty was with Quinn and did not travel to Minnesota, but the team shared Jenner’s speech on social media.

“This is for Quinn, all that she’s been through, and we played for her tonight. This is going to her. We wish you the best of luck. Keep recovering, keep battling. We love you guys. This is for you,” Jenner said.

- NHL.com Independent Correspondent Craig Merz contributed to this report.