It’s been two years since the deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, and the loss still hangs over Calgary and Columbus alike. The Blue Jackets marked their home opener with a ceremony honoring Johnny’s life and career, raising a banner with No. 13 and ensuring the number will not be used again.
In Calgary, the conversation has shifted from whether Gaudreau should be honored to when the Flames should finally retire his number. Fans have pushed for it, and the case for it is hard to miss. The number is already out of circulation, but a formal retirement would give the tribute its proper place.
There are some who question whether Gaudreau should have his jersey retired by the Flames because he was no longer with the team when he died. That argument doesn’t carry much weight.
Jersey retirements usually happen well after a player’s career is over. Johnny never got that chance.
What he gave the Flames went far beyond the box score. During his time in Calgary, he launched a personal goal-scoring fundraising challenge, donating $1,000 for every goal he scored in a season, with the Calgary Flames Foundation matching it dollar for dollar. He also kept showing up for the community, taking photos, signing autographs, and living up to the image fans had of him as a true Calgarian.
Even after he signed with the Blue Jackets in free agency in the summer of 2022, Gaudreau still contributed to a Calgary-based charity he had partnered with.
On the ice, his résumé speaks for itself: 609 points as a Flame, nearly nine seasons as the face of the franchise, fifth all-time in points for Calgary, a Hobey Baker Award winner and a seven-time NHL All-Star.
Miikka Kiprusoff is a useful comparison. Kiprusoff spent nine seasons with the Flames, won the Vézina in 2005-06 and had his jersey retired in March 2024, despite never bringing a Stanley Cup to Calgary and not spending his entire career there. Gaudreau’s case stacks up, and then some.
The timing, though, matters. The best moment would be October 2027, when the Flames open the 2027-28 season in their new home, Scotia Place. That game would be the first in the building, and it would be the right stage for No. 13 to go to the rafters.
By then, Johnny’s daughter Noa will be five years old, old enough to remember the ceremony, and his sons Johnny Jr. and Carter would be there as well. It would give the Gaudreau family a chance to be welcomed into Scotia Place for a formal celebration of one of Calgary’s greatest players and one of its most beloved people.
Making No. 13 the first jersey raised in Scotia Place would carry real weight. It would give Flames fans a moment of closure and ensure Gaudreau’s name stays visible to every new generation that walks into the building.
It would also create a natural opening for the Flames to formally partner with The John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation, which was founded by Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau in 2025. The foundation supports hockey opportunities for youth in low-income areas, helps hockey families facing tragedies and assists families impacted by drunk driving.
Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 belongs in the rafters, and October 2027 would be the right time to put it there.
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