Matthew Tkachuk is not doing well since the death of his friend Johnny Gaudreau
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Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers should have been having the time of his life when he heard that friend and former linemate Johnny Gaudreau had passed away
What should have been the best summer of his life came to a screeching halt near the end of August. That's when Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers learned that his good friend and former linemate with the Calgary Flames had passed away. Johnny and brother Matthew Gaudreau had been killed in a collision with a car, the driver alleged to have a blood alcohol level of 0.87 percent, above the legal limit in New Jersey. Tkachuk has now opened up on the death of his friend, and says it was shock to the system.
Matthew Tkachuk was still feeling the high of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career, and a franchise first for the Florida Panthers. Here's what he told Josh Yohe of The Athletic.
"It was the greatest summer of my life, and some of the most incredible memories were made. But then, right at the end of this amazing summer, the unthinkable happened.
Ever since I left Calgary and came to Florida, all I ever do is tell stories about Johnny,» Tkachuk said. «At one point, I was probably telling the guys down here a Johnny story once a week. I was always talking about him, about something funny he had done, something he had done in practice, whatever. He was the kind of guy that you could never get out of your mind, and I hated being away from him.
Matthew Tkachuk said he was very much looking forward to playing alongside Johnny Gaudreau once again while representing Team USA at the 2026 Olympics, as well as during the upcoming 4 Nations Faceoff in a few months.
"We talked about it all the time. That was a tough one. He had played for Team USA in so many big events, and I know it meant a lot to him. Obviously, we would have been together this time. It's tough to think about right now. But I know he would have been excited for those tournaments and he will be on my mind during those times even more than he usually is."
Sean Higgins, the man charged in Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's deaths, cried in court recently after being denied bail. He was described as an empathetic individual and a loving father. He told police the day of the accident that he had "five or six beer."
| POLL | ||
25 SEPTEMBRE | 59 ANSWERS Matthew Tkachuk is not doing well since the death of his friend Johnny Gaudreau Were you aware that Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk were so close? | ||
| Yes | 29 | 49.2 % |
| No | 30 | 50.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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