Long before he whistled that impossible shot past Jake Oettinger’s right shoulder, Johnny Gaudreau set this town ablaze.

In fact, I’d repeatedly turn to my boss, Ty Pilson, and laugh at how my off-day story ideas were bordering on lunacy. ‘Johnny AGAIN?’ I’d murmur to myself, knowing full well it was one of the biggest angles to pursue for most of that spellbinding, 115-point campaign in 2022. Thankfully, Thesaurus.com came through in the clutch for helping spin a fresh tale on the previous night’s heroics – authored, often, by the white knight himself, and those electrified, Saddledome stylings.

On the ice, he was magical.

Mythical.

He was Johnny Hockey.

He did things with the puck most could only dream of – from his habitual pregame flex, where he’d casually lob pucks high to the ceiling and catch it on the blade of his stick; to scoring hat-tricks, inspiring comebacks, and yes, single-handedly scripting Game 7 wins to officially etch himself as a fabled piece of franchise lore.

But away from the rink … He was John.

A husband, father, brother, son, friend, teammate, and so much more.

“It didn’t matter if we hadn’t spoken in a day or a week, we always knew where we had each other,” Rasmus Andersson wrote on Twitter. “There hasn’t been a dry eye in the Andersson house today. We all love you Johnny.”

Blake Coleman, meanwhile, took to Instagram, where he shared a heart-wrenching photo of Johnny embracing his daughter, Charlie, in the Flames dressing room.

“Completely gutted,” Coleman said. “One of the best guys to be around. (You) always had that big smile on your face and never passed up a good time. A great dad and husband to that beautiful family of yours. You will be missed by so many. Praying for your entire family in this incredibly difficult time. Thanks for the memories, Johnny. You won’t be forgotten.”

When his parents, Jane and Guy, made one of their many visits to Calgary – including the night when he tallied his first-ever 100-point season (and made an impromptu cameo on the Flames TV desk that became something of a viral hit), family is what it was about.

The best. pic.twitter.com/9smTeKR6Vs

— Ryan Dittrick (@ryandittrick) April 13, 2022

He spoke proudly of mom and dad. Of how their support, from undersized prospect to big-league standout, is the reason he climbed the pro ladder. Of how their company kept him grounded, motivated, and determined not only to become one of the NHL’s top show-stoppers – but as the ultimate father to his two children, Noa and Johnny Jr.

He did it all, and even fulfilled a promise he made to his mother by finishing his degree at Boston College during the COVID-shortened season when online classes became all the rage.

“It’s for her,” Gaudreau told me at the time. “I remember when I started this. It was after my sophomore year. I started taking a few classes and little did I know, but I was only two courses away.

“Then, I turned pro and I kept pushing it off. But I made that promise to her, and to myself. … There were a lot of late nights writing papers – and I would always take my time, making sure I did it properly and didn’t mess up things like the spelling and grammar. But it was definitely worth all the hard work.”

For mom? Anything.

And because of that, Gaudreau was unlike any other superstar I’d ever worked with, because the youthful enthusiasm he approached life (and the game of hockey) with seemingly shielded him from both the rigors and magnitude of stardom.

He was humble, gracious, and had an unappreciated sense of humour that routinely had his teammates in stiches.

And you can bet that same, outgoing personality is what makes Guy such a treat to be around.

One of my favourite Guy Gaudreau stories happened in January of 2023 when Johnny was representing the Blue Jackets the NHL All-Star Game. With many of the festivities happening on Fort Lauderdale Beach – and the game, itself, taking place in Sunrise, Fla., some half-hour away – travel was a bit of a nightmare at the best of times.

Then, as luck would have it, the family bus to the rink broke down in the middle of the highway, leaving Guy and other members of the NHL fraternity desperate for a ride. So, wouldn’t you know it? There was Guy, playfully sticking out his thumb and hitch-hiking on the side of the Interstate so he wouldn’t miss any of the action.

It didn’t matter how many times he’d watched him play before – Guy didn’t want to miss a second of his boy’s big-league adventure.

The tragedy in losing both Johnny and his brother, Matthew, is impossible to comprehend. The lives they both touched and the memories they leave behind now are endless. There were tears today at the Saddledome. Hugs. Thousand-yard stares as we sit only feet from where Johnny became famous, but yet, are incapable of processing a painful reality that rudely awakened us from the excitement of a rapidly approaching season.

Out east, what the Gaudreau family is feeling today as they grapple with the type of grief no family should ever be subjected to is immense.

And that, above all, is where my mind sits:

Irreparably occupied.

I type away, tears flowing, unsure of how to properly pay tribute to one of the most awe-inspiring athletes our city has ever seen.

Yes, it was the talent that brought him here in the first place.

But it was the kind, decent, radiant human being that cemented him and his beautiful family as Flames for life.

Then, now, and always.