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Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell speaks during the candlelight vigil to honor Blue Jackets hockey player Johnny Gaudreau, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2024, outside of Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a motor vehicle last week while riding bicycles. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)

With grief lingering, Blue Jackets GM Waddell places focus on hockey in wake of Gaudreau's death

Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell places the focus on returning to hockey while acknowledging how challenging that will be in the aftermath of the deaths of Columbus star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew

By JOHN WAWROW
Published - Sep 15, 2024, 06:14 PM ET
Last Updated - Dec 16, 2024, 07:14 PM EST

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Hearing the familiar sounds of clacking sticks and pucks banging off the boards and glass while watching Columbus Blue Jackets prospects from the stands of a cold rink on a warm late-summer afternoon was not enough to wash away the lingering residuals of grief for Don Waddell on Saturday.

That, the Blue Jackets' general manager acknowledged, will take more time than anyone can guess — weeks, months, perhaps an entire season and beyond.

What mattered is how spending the weekend attending the Sabres Prospects Challenge represented a start to what Waddell called among the first steps in refocusing on hockey and the future in the aftermath of the deaths of Columbus star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on Aug 29.

“We got to play hockey," Waddell said. “We’re not going to forget about Johnny and his family, the Gaudreau family.”

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