Johnny Gaudreau was a great player and great for hockey

Johnny Gaudreau wasn't just a great hockey player (and he most certainly was). He was also a great player — and person — for hockey, beyond the stat sheet and his on-ice contributions. 

Gaudreau, 31, and his younger brother Matthew, 29, were killed  Thursday night when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while on a bike ride near their hometown in New Jersey. The brothers, along with the rest of their extended family, were in the area to celebrate their sister's wedding Friday. 

It is a devastating loss not only for the Gaudreau family and friends, but also for members of the Columbus Blues Jackets organization who now must deal with the loss of a teammate for the second time in three years. 

It was in the summer of 2021 that goalie Matiss Kivlenieks was tragically killed in a Fourth of July fireworks accident. There are still several players on the team who were teammates with Kivlenieks as well as one of Gaudreau's former teammates in Calgary, Sean Monahan, who signed with Columbus this offseason to re-unite with his former linemate. 

It is also a tremendous loss for the NHL and the sport of hockey as a whole because Gaudreau was everything anybody could have asked for in a star player. 

On the ice, he was not only a star-level player who produced like an All-Star. He also brought something that the NHL has simply not had enough of over the years: fun.

He was fun to watch. He was fun to listen to. He was fun as a person. 

When Gaudreau was first hitting his prime in the NHL, the league was not in a particularly good place from an entertainment perspective. Goal scoring was near an all-time low, the style of play was not visually appealing and every team and player seemed to take on the same approach. Play a tight, low-scoring game and try to grind out 3-2 or 2-1 wins. It might have been effective, but it was at times a chore to watch. 

Gaudreau was not that player. He was fast, skilled, exciting and not afraid to try different things to make plays. He was at times a one-man highlight reel and the type of player who could bring you out of your seat whether you were a fan of his team or not.