Former Flame Sean Monahan surprised with Masterton Trophy win by Meredith Gaudreau
Sean Monahan has had to fight through the last year and the National Hockey League recognized it, awarding the 30-year-old the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance after losing his friend and fellow Calgary Flames alum Johnny Gaudreau to an alleged drunk driver last August.
Article content
It was Gaudreau's widow, Meredith, who surprised Monahan with the trophy at his home near Toronto. In a video posted to nhl.com, she talked about how Monahan supported her at every tribute for her late husband and now it was her turn to honour him.
Article content
Article content
In the video, Meredith Gaudreau said it was an honour to surprise him with the trophy.
Article content
'This is so important to me because Sean is so important to John,' she said.
Article content
'You don't think about John's name without thinking of Sean and you don't hear Sean's name without thinking of John and they are best friends. They are brothers. When I was asked to be part of this surprise, I was so excited. Sean stood by my side for every tribute every walk out and, you know, I dragged him out there to cry with me on national television. I am excited to celebrate this one because this one celebrates Sean.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
In an interview in November, Monahan talked about how the grief of losing his teammate and friend was affecting him.
Article content
Article content
'You lose your best friend, your teammate, it's tough to comprehend,' Monahan told Postmedia at the time. 'Ninety per cent of the time, it doesn't feel real. When something happens in my life, I'd usually give John a FaceTime and he'd answer. I go through those situations a lot where you want to pick up the phone and give him a call or text or send him a picture or something, and then you realize. That's when it hurts.'
Article content
Monahan took to the ice this season with the Columbus Blue Jackets without Gaudreau and suffered a wrist injury in January. Despite that, he was tied for third place in Columbus' scoring with 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists). The Blue Jackets finished two points out of the second Eastern Conference wild card spot this season.
Article content
Article content
Monahan, who signed with Columbus on July 1, 2024, to reunite with Gaudreau after the pair played together for eight seasons in Calgary, has served as an inspiration amid the tragedy of Gaudreau's death. He finished with the fifth-most points by a Blue Jackets player in his first season with the club — a list Gaudreau sits second on (74 in 2022-23). His 1.06 points per game was the highest by any first-year Columbus player.
Article content
'Winning that Bill Masterton Trophy means a lot to me,' he said in the video. 'It's a big honour. There's a lot of special names on that trophy and the meaning behind it is something I take great pride in day-to-day life, being on a team and being a father, a husband.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
6 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Ottawa Senators confident of continued improvement next season
It has been 40 days since the Ottawa Senators saw their season come to an untimely end in the Battle of Ontario. Though the Senators were eliminated from the National Hockey League playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the first-round series on May 1, the faithful cheered their heroes off the ice after experiencing the big dance for the first time since 2017. Fans were excited because they knew there were better days ahead, and, as fans returned to Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night for the second Season Ticket Holders spring members summit, the organization remained confident that would be the case. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'We're just getting started,' Dave Poulin, the Senators' senior vice-president of hockey operations, told the fans. 'This has been fun to grow with you.' This is a busy time of year for Steve Staios, the president of hockey operations and general manager, and the rest of the staff. With NHL free agency set to start July 1, the off-season is going to continue to ramp up after the club held its amateur and pro scouting meetings in the past three weeks. Poulin noted the Senators had heavy lifting to do before the NHL draft on June 28-29. He said the organization was studying the free-agent market and was also trying to determine which players on the current roster they wanted to keep. The Senators are in negotiations with forwards Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins and Adam Gaudette and goaltender Anton Forsberg. It's anybody's guess if any of those players will return, but Forsberg and Gaudette are doubtful. There will be make changes, but Poulin said the growth would have to come from the core. A lot of that will be about consistency from the likes of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Ridly Greig. 'We talked about the group learning in the playoffs and playing in the playoffs for the first time,' Poulin said. 'We have to carry that experience into the next year, and we have to increase our consistency, and we have to take our bandwidth to a higher level. 'When I talked about hockey players, when I was a coach, when I was a manager, as a player, they have a bandwidth, and we want them in that bandwidth, but we want them in the top end of that band, and you'll see some players that have huge highs, then huge lows, then huge highs, then huge lows, and as a group we have to get used to playing here on a more consistent basis that will eliminate the lows, increase the highs overall as a team, become more consistent.' Leeder said the club was able to grow its season ticket base by 1,000 thanks to the playoff run. It's believed the Senators had 7,500 season seats heading into last season, and they are striving to get closer to the 12,000 mark that would be around the NHL average. The Senators had 13 sellouts last season, and Brendan Du Vall, the club's head of ticketing, said he was confident the organization would have more than 20 sellouts next season. The club said it has had a 90-per-cent renewal rate for season tickets. 'We're still below where we need to be,' Leeder said. 'We're still below the league average, but we're making good progress. We'll see the benefits from the business side going into future years because we've been able to become a playoff team. 'We've got a team that we hope will be there regularly.' There wasn't much of an update on talks with the National Capital Commission to buy 10 acres of land to build a new rink at the LeBreton Flats site 10 minutes west of Parliament Hill. The two sides have said they'd like to have an agreement in place by the end of 2025. Leeder said those talks were ongoing. 'I can tell you that we're working hard with the NCC on the agreement; it's complicated. We are making progress,' Leeder said. 'We had a very productive meeting today that went well. 'I can tell the fans that we're committed to helping revitalize downtown, and we think a major event centre is a big part of that solution.' Leeder said that, since the Senators expected to be in their current home at Canadian Tire Centre for the foreseeable future, they will continue to make upgrades, including replacing old seats. The rink will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a game on Jan. 17. Originally named the Palladium, it opened on Jan. 15, 1996, with a concert by legendary Canadian rocker Bryan Adams. Leeder said the Senators tried to get Adams back on the same date 30 years later, but he was unable to make it work because he'll be on tour. He will play an anniversary concert in Ottawa on Oct. 4. bgarrioch@
Calgary Herald
6 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Ottawa Senators confident of continued improvement next season
It has been 40 days since the Ottawa Senators saw their season come to an untimely end in the Battle of Ontario. Article content Though the Senators were eliminated from the National Hockey League playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the first-round series on May 1, the faithful cheered their heroes off the ice after experiencing the big dance for the first time since 2017. Article content Article content Article content Fans were excited because they knew there were better days ahead, and, as fans returned to Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night for the second Season Ticket Holders spring members summit, the organization remained confident that would be the case. Article content Article content 'We're just getting started,' Dave Poulin, the Senators' senior vice-president of hockey operations, told the fans. 'This has been fun to grow with you.' Article content This is a busy time of year for Steve Staios, the president of hockey operations and general manager, and the rest of the staff. With NHL free agency set to start July 1, the off-season is going to continue to ramp up after the club held its amateur and pro scouting meetings in the past three weeks. Article content Poulin noted the Senators had heavy lifting to do before the NHL draft on June 28-29. He said the organization was studying the free-agent market and was also trying to determine which players on the current roster they wanted to keep. Article content The Senators are in negotiations with forwards Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins and Adam Gaudette and goaltender Anton Forsberg. It's anybody's guess if any of those players will return, but Forsberg and Gaudette are doubtful. Article content There will be make changes, but Poulin said the growth would have to come from the core. A lot of that will be about consistency from the likes of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Ridly Greig. Article content 'We talked about the group learning in the playoffs and playing in the playoffs for the first time,' Poulin said. 'We have to carry that experience into the next year, and we have to increase our consistency, and we have to take our bandwidth to a higher level. Article content 'When I talked about hockey players, when I was a coach, when I was a manager, as a player, they have a bandwidth, and we want them in that bandwidth, but we want them in the top end of that band, and you'll see some players that have huge highs, then huge lows, then huge highs, then huge lows, and as a group we have to get used to playing here on a more consistent basis that will eliminate the lows, increase the highs overall as a team, become more consistent.'
Ottawa Citizen
7 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Senators confident of continued improvement next season
It has been 40 days since the Ottawa Senators saw their season come to an untimely end in the Battle of Ontario. Article content Though the Senators were eliminated from the National Hockey League playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the first-round series on May 1, the faithful cheered their heroes off the ice after experiencing the big dance for the first time since 2017. Article content Article content Article content Fans were excited because they knew there were better days ahead, and, as fans returned to Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night for the second Season Ticket Holders spring members summit, the organization remained confident that would be the case. Article content Article content 'We're just getting started,' Dave Poulin, the Senators' senior vice-president of hockey operations, told the fans. 'This has been fun to grow with you.' Article content This is a busy time of year for Steve Staios, the president of hockey operations and general manager, and the rest of the staff. With NHL free agency set to start July 1, the off-season is going to continue to ramp up after the club held its amateur and pro scouting meetings in the past three weeks. Poulin noted the Senators had heavy lifting to do before the NHL draft on June 28-29. He said the organization was studying the free-agent market and was also trying to determine which players on the current roster they wanted to keep. Article content Article content The Senators are in negotiations with forwards Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins and Adam Gaudette and goaltender Anton Forsberg. It's anybody's guess if any of those players will return, but Forsberg and Gaudette are doubtful. Article content There will be make changes, but Poulin said the growth would have to come from the core. A lot of that will be about consistency from the likes of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Ridly Greig. Article content 'We talked about the group learning in the playoffs and playing in the playoffs for the first time,' Poulin said. 'We have to carry that experience into the next year, and we have to increase our consistency, and we have to take our bandwidth to a higher level. Article content 'When I talked about hockey players, when I was a coach, when I was a manager, as a player, they have a bandwidth, and we want them in that bandwidth, but we want them in the top end of that band, and you'll see some players that have huge highs, then huge lows, then huge highs, then huge lows, and as a group we have to get used to playing here on a more consistent basis that will eliminate the lows, increase the highs overall as a team, become more consistent.'
