"Hard for a little bit": Gaudreau reacts to relentless booing from Flames fans
Johnny Gaudreau was booed the moment he stepped onto the ice at Scotiabank Saddledome for warmups prior to a 4-3 Calgary Flames win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.
He was jeered again when mentioned by FlamesTV’s Brendan Parker on the team’s in-house pre-game show. Add another round when the public address announcer Beesley announced Gaudreau would be in the starting lineup for the Blue Jackets.
And he was relentlessly hounded each and every time he hopped over the boards for a shift, and when the puck hit his stick.
A big loud "BOO" for Johnny Gaudreau as he touches the puck for the first time in Calgary as a visiting player pic.twitter.com/Mzu0I4PwGX
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) January 24, 2023
Par for the course for Gaudreau, who drew the ire of Flames fans by signing a seven-year, $68.25 million contract ($9.75 million average annual value) with Columbus on July 13, one day after Calgary general manager Brad Treliving announced No. 13 indicated he’d hit the open market in free agency.
“I kind of knew what was going to happen, but still, there’s nothing that gets you ready for something like that,” said Gaudreau, whose teammates tried to prep him for the chorus at morning skate. “They were cheering and rooting for me for the past nine, 10 years and now they’re all booing me. It’s hard. It was hard for a little bit.”
Fans yielded just once.
That came during a touching video tribute to the 29-year-old, who joined the organization as the No. 104 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft before blossoming into one of the league’s most dynamic stars.
They broke from the boos to give him a standing ovation.
“It was great,” Gaudreau said. “I definitely heard them over the boos for the most part. It felt nice to see everyone standing up and clapping their hands and cheering for me, then five seconds after start to boo again. It’s what I expected coming here. It’s a great fan base. They’re passionate fans. I loved it. It was a special night for me.”
So many memories over the years, on and off the ice.
Welcome back, Johnny. pic.twitter.com/FAWOZe6xMm
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 24, 2023
The message to Gaudreau was clear all night.
And he knew it was coming.
His message back was a bit more heartfelt.
“Just the non-stop support I’ve had since my first day, even in college, they were big fans of me,” Gaudreau started. “I was drafted in 2011. I was part of this organization for 11, 12 years. They gave me an endless amount of support and gave our team an endless amount of support. I just want to thank them all for being great fans and welcoming me into their city. They treated me very well and my family really well.”
The last-place Blue Jackets, who bested the Flames in Gaudreau’s first game against his former mates in Columbus last month, almost turned the evening into a celebration.
Gaudreau himself played a massive role, netting two patented power play assists, launching five shots on net, and registering nearly a dozen shot attempts — including a miss on a penalty shot within the first six minutes of the game.
š¶š¶ pic.twitter.com/XpZZvM6M0B
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 24, 2023
It was vintage for the left-wing, who had 609 points (210 goals, 399 assists) in 602 regular-season games over nine seasons with the Flames, including an NHL career-high 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists) for Calgary in 2021-22.
He still pulled fans out of their seats.
And left them with some sore vocal cords.
“It’ll probably be easier next time but I’m sure I’ll still get booed,” admitted Gaudreau, who ranks fifth in franchise history in points. “It’ll be a lot easier. The first time back is a lot of emotions, a little nervous before the game started, but I was excited to be back. It was a lot of fun playing here.”
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