I can’t seem to find the clip now, but Gaudreau was on a breakaway and Hughson made a brilliant call and said “HEEEEEERE’S JOHNNY” followed by silence and Gaudreau scores. Gives me goosebumps still.
I can’t seem to find the clip now, but Gaudreau was on a breakaway and Hughson made a brilliant call and said “HEEEEEERE’S JOHNNY” followed by silence and Gaudreau scores. Gives me goosebumps still.
Super sad to hear that this has happened. Johnny brought me back to having an interest in hockey when I'd given up watching. He was the most fun player in the last decade or more for me and provided a lot of good memories and joy that I shared with friends. I only knew him as a fan of his game, but the good times he generated were real and I'm grateful for the fun and good memories he brought me.
Johnny Hockey was a special one. Tragic that his family have lost him and his brother. I have nothing but condolences and well wishes for all of them, and especially for his wife and his two young kids.
Thank you, Johnny, for all the joy and fun you brought in life. It was cut too short. It's said the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Johnny shone brightly and shared a lot of light in his time.
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"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"
As a season ticket holder for whom you often single handedly made it worth coming to the Dome, to the father of two undersized hockey players that you inspired, thank you Johnny.
Never forgotten.
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I think a lot of of us were cheezed off when he left. Looking back, maybe it was for the best that he was able to spend in what turned out to be the last few years of his life close to his family and in the setting that he wished
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"Half the GM's in the league would trade their roster for our roster right now..." Kevin Lowe in 2013
I think a lot of of us were cheezed off when he left. Looking back, maybe it was for the best that he was able to spend in what turned out to be the last few years of his life close to his family and in the setting that he wished
If something like this doesn't put in perspective a decision to focus on life and family instead of career, nothing will.
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"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"
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These videos are hard to watch today. In the future they'll bring back some happy memories. Today all I see what his parents, wife, children, sisters, and numerous relatives, and friends have lost. Not to mention countless hockey fans.
But the one thing that stands out is that Johnny was a guy who genuinely loved playing the game. That's probably the thing I want to remember about him.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
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I remember the day the flames drafted him and a picture of him on skates, standing next to his teammates was posted. I thought we had just drafted the cutest Johan’s brother you could ever hope for. I figured from that picture was the most he would ever accomplish as a flame. Boy was I wrong. Absolutely electrifying. His play with Monny was instant. That said his last season as a flame was his best season. Not just points but he was doing the little things on the backend needed to win. Him, lindholm and tkachuk had chemistry that I’m not sure I remember from any line in flames history.
AltaGuy has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him. He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people, whether he is speaking to a room of three or an arena of 30,000.
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At le pub...
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In 2014, before JG played his first game at the end of that season, I was at my Grandpa's house in Montreal waiting with my family for his funeral. My grandpa was a huge hockey fan and an excellent tiny (5'4" on a good day) hockey player, and had played with the Rocket and other famous Canadians during World War 2 with the Air Force. Anyway, I pulled out my phone shortly before the funeral and showed my Dad highlights of JG from the World Juniors and college. We spent awhile marveling at his edgework and wondering if his amazing skills could translate to the NHL. My Grandpa never got to see him, but it's a memory I'll always have. He would've loved the story of the little guy proving everybody wrong.
What a great player. I can remember telling friends after the 12/13 season at BC that this guy would be an absolute stud (but I always love the small skilled guys). He was better than I ever imagined. A great player at the NHL level from his rookie season onward. Probably had the best first two seasons in the league of any Flames forward since Nieuwendyk. Just an absolute pleasure to watch over the years.
I was going through my folder of stuff I had saved over the years about Johnny and came across this article. I think it gives a good assessment of him as a player and human being.
I love how Johnny summarized what he was "It took a lot of work at every level, but I think now people finally understand what I’ve always known. I’m not a grinder. I’m not a gimmick. And, in general, I’m just not a big guy.
Johnny was the first Flames player I followed so closely right from when we drafted him. Everything you read of him back then you can't help but cheer for him. Being so undersized (framewise), but magic hands and vision, he was electrifying to watch. From him dominating at the WJC to watching him live for the first time in Penticton, he makes up so many of my core Flames memories.
I still can't believe this is real right now. I feels like all just a bad dream...
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A small memory I just had. I remember being in Vegas in May 2015, just after the find-a-way Flames were eliminated by the Ducks. I was in the pool and my buddy and I were both repping Flames hats. I could not believe the amount of complete strangers that wanted to talk about "Johnny Hockey". Every 5 minutes someone would come up to us and talk about how lucky we were to have him and how incredible he is. He caught so much attention around the league that year. It was pretty special.
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Definitely a gut punch. I feel like i've lost someone close to me. I guess because I followed him from the final four and his Hobey Baker award, was there for his first goal as a Flame and likely his final goal as a Flame. Then you pile on a tragedy with his brother as well expecting a new child.
My thoughts are really with his family and my heart is broken today, but not like theirs. I truly hope they will all find a way to recover after this tragedy. I super appreciated the post about grief, in another thread, because even though this is so hard to process, I was truly connected to the individual and his magician skills, his easy going fun loving life. Him and his family will live on forever in my memories. So I'm so appreciative of him and his families connection the the Calgary Flames franchise and the City of Calgary.
Was it Crawford who said that he hadn't earned the Hockey moniker prior to that game in winnipeg early in his rookie season? Then he went on to terrorize the Jets in that game with highlight reel plays and didn't look back after that.
He had that one play where he spun backwards off the boards and drove the net and I'd never seen a play like that in hockey before.
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Last edited by TrentCrimmIndependent; 08-30-2024 at 03:18 PM.
I’m sorry for being as upset as I was when you left for CBJ and I had come to realize and accept you did this for the exact right reasons even though you knew it was going to break a lot of fans hearts - and that’s why it took you to the 11th hour. I love the fact you still watched flames games, it just warmed my heart to hear this and made me feel an even greater sense of sorrow. I said in the other thread how I can never thank you enough for making my one brother a true fan of the game before my very eyes (two primary assists on Wideman goals in the 3rd period to help tie the game, a crazy OT where you almost single handedly ended the game and the Shootout winner to cap of the night was all that it took) and it’s so true, the core memories you’ve provided me and my fam are invaluable to me. You were the best of my generation on the flames and it’s not even close, cheers to and for everything you did for the sport and for the city of Calgary and the Flames.
