Frank Seravalli under fire after controversial comments on Gaudreau tragedy
Photo credit: Hockey Feed
We all know and respect Frank Seravalli from Daily Faceoff as one of the top insiders in hockey But in his latest article, he crossed the line when discussing the Columbus Blue Jackets and the tragic loss of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.
For those who don't know, the Gaudreau brothers were tragically killed by a drunk driver, Sean Higgins, while riding their bikes in Salem County, New Jersey, on August 29, just before their sister's wedding. Johnny Gaudreau, a former Calgary Flame and beloved figure in the community, left the Flames in 2022 for family reasons and signed with Columbus.
The Blue Jackets have struggled in recent years but were starting to build a solid future, especially after drafting Adam Fantili third overall in 2023. They even signed Johnny's close friend and former Flames linemate, Sean Monahan, with plans for the two to reunite on the ice-until this terrible tragedy occurred.
In his article, Frank made the point that the Blue Jackets are expected to be lottery contenders again this season, which many people would agree with. But where he went wrong was in his wording.
With a little help from Gaudreau, the Columbus Blue Jackets will win the 2025 Draft Lottery. It's the only consolation prize on a brutal year.
He implied that the draft lottery could somehow be linked to Johnny's tragic death. Then he tried to fix it but made it worse, writing, «With a little help from Gaudreau in Heaven»
Unsurprisingly, this didn't sit well with hockey fans. People were quick to call out the insensitivity of his comments.
One infuriated fan didn't hold back.
How does Frank Seravalli not that winning the 2025 draft lottery is NOT the consolation prize for losing Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau? Two lives were lost, four children don't have their fathers, and two parents had to bury their sons.
It's clear Frank didn't intend to cause harm, but his words came off as incredibly tone-deaf and his editing dug him a deeper hole. He struck out 3 times.
Thankfully, amid the backlash he realized his mistakes and apologized.
What I wrote and how my poor choice of words was received was not intended to create any hurt or anger... I am sorry and I promise to be better.
We can all agree that this was a painful misstep, and, it serves as a reminder to think carefully when addressing sensitive topics. Hopefully Frank learns from this and is better moving forward.
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