CALGARY, Alberta ― Johnny Gaudreau knows, vividly, what awaits him Thursday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.
More: Johnny Gaudreau helps Blue Jackets refute negative perception: 'It's so unfair'
Just like last year, when he made his first return to the building where Calgary Flames fans used to cheer him, the Blue Jackets star knows he'll be jeered. Their booing whenever he touched the puck during an entertaining overtime loss is still a bit raw for Gaudreau, who stunned his former team and angered many by choosing Columbus in July 2022 as a free agent.
"I think it will be the same, the feeling," he said. "You're still getting booed and it's not great. It's not fun, but it just shows you how much they care about their team and their city, and that's why it was a special place to play."
Johnny Gaudreau helps Blue Jackets refute negative perception: 'It's so unfair'
It also showed how much they cared about him, along with his value to the Flames and Calgary after he'd spent the first nine years of his NHL career there. Gaudreau was drafted by the Flames in 2011 (fourth round, 104thoverall), and made his debut April 13, 2014 in Vancouver ― scoring his first NHL goal the same night.
He then logged 601 more games for the Flames over the next eight seasons, becoming a "point a game" star with 210 goals, 399 assists and 609 points. Gaudreau's last season in Calgary (2021-22), he put up career highs with a jaw dropping 40-75-115 and +64 plus/minus while playing all 82 games.
Many thought he'd sign a contract extension, avoid free agency and convince Matthew Tkachuk to follow suit. Gaudreau had other plans.
After his "hometown" Philadelphia Flyers passed on offering a contract, he chose the Blue Jackets over the Flames and New Jersey Devils — teams that most NHL fans felt certain he'd pick after Philly didn't work out. Despite providing multiple reasons, including proximity to family in New Jersey as the biggest, Gaudreau, 30, still hasn't heard the end of it.
So, he'll get booed again Tuesday by a crowd that includes fans still wearing his Flames jersey, and the atmosphere will put an extra charge into it for Gaudreau — not to mention money on the board in the visiting locker room.
"Obviously, it's kind of weird," Gaudreau said. "You never want to get booed, but you just try to put it in the back of your mind and not think about it until the game starts, even though you know it's coming. It wasn't the outcome we wanted in my return (last season), but the good thing is we get to come back again, and we're finally here, so hopefully we can get a win."
Gaudreau's first season in Columbus couldn't have gone much worse.
Rather than contending for a playoff spot, they dropped out of consideration in just a few weeks and had a slew of significant injuries that led to picking star rookie Adam Fantilli third overall in the NHL draft. Gaudreau finished with 21-53-74 and a career low -33 plus/minus rating that was 19 goals, 22 assists and 41 points short of his final season in Calgary.
This season is even worse, statistically, for Gaudreau, and the Blue Jackets (14-23-9) are last in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets in scoring, but his stat line is a meager 7-22-29 through 46 games, boosting the number of "told you so" comments about his decision.
Still, he's insistent that Columbus was the right choice for himself, wife Meredith and their growing family — which includes a 14-month old daughter, Noa, plus another child on the way.
"Love it," Gaudreau said. "We're loving Ohio, loving Columbus. It's a great place. I mean, my wife loves it, raising our own little family there, and the people are awesome. Our fans are, undercover, some of the best in the league. It's hard to not give them more, because we've lost a lot, but the amount of support we get is crazy."
Despite the Jackets' poor record, fans continue flocking to Nationwide Arena. The building's been at capacity nine times this season, including the past seven games in a row.
"I said it last year at the end of the season," Gaudreau said. "(Our fans) were the MVPs of the season, and they have been this year, too, so hopefully they can stick with us here. It's been a rough patch, but I think we'll be alright in the future."
It might be a gametime decision, but Zach Werenski (ankle) is planning to return for the Blue Jackets on Thursday against the Flames.
The star defenseman has missed the past 10 games, four-plus weeks, with a high-ankle sprain that drove him out of a game Dec. 27 in New Jersey . His return will require someone to be moved off the roster to make room, which carries potential of negatively impacting the Jackets' positivity.
Vincent isn't worried.
"As far as chemistry goes, I don't see that being an issue," Vincent said. "We have good team chemistry. You can see in practice now. There is the accountability part of it. They get mad, and not in a bad way, but they're pushing themselves and competing hard. There's some internal pressure in that, having to keep your job and being in the lineup. When you have guys like that, it cranks up the intensity a little bit, which is a good thing."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau ready for jeers from Flames fans
