Columbus Blue Jackets open camp by sharing painful connection with Sean Monahan

Dean Evason wasn’t a fan of the way the Blue Jackets’ locker room was set up when he took over as head coach earlier this summer.

Goalies and defensemen were dressed in a group near the back. Forwards were dressed in two other groups on opposite sides. There were also obvious divisions between veterans, youngsters and players of similar nationalities. So Evason told Don Waddell, the Jackets’ new president of hockey operations/GM, that he wanted to change things up. Young players were moved next to veterans, forwards next to defensemen and goalies, and the photos above each stall would no longer be just action shots of the player who suited up there ― a subtle shift toward a more team-oriented culture.

That was before Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew were killed Aug. 29 while riding their bikes in New Jersey. In a heartbreaking moment, the Blue Jackets became closer than ever, including newcomer Sean Monahan, who signed a five-year contract July 1, largely to reconnect with Gaudreau, his former teammate and close friend from the Calgary Flames.

Monahan now finds himself on a new team, in a new city without Gaudreau, who was supposed to be his neighbor just a few houses down in the Columbus area. Gaudreau will now be Monahan’s “neighbor” in the locker room in the form of a No. 13 jersey the Jackets will wear with them all season, home and away.

“I actually still sit next to Johnny,” Monahan said Wednesday. “It’s pretty special. I get to have that memory every day, so I have that on one side and then (Kirill) Marchenko on the other side, and I’m just getting to know him.”

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Monahan now occupies the best spot in the locker room. He’s surrounded by Gaudreau memorabilia on one side and hockey’s “Danny Rojas” on the other. Rojas is a “Ted Lasso” character once used by Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson to describe the ever-smiling Marchenko.

“I’ve skated with him a few times and he’s a really funny guy,” Monahan said. “I’m sure I’ll learn a lot about him here soon.”

He’s already learned a lot about the Blue Jackets, who share a bond with their new veteran center that neither of them wanted or could have anticipated. They were forced to grieve together for three weeks and now will use hockey together to heal. The Blue Jackets will officially hit the ice for training camp Thursday under a new coach in Evason and Waddell as the new chief hockey officer.

Just over a week ago, they shed tears together and shared hugs with other NHL players at an emotional funeral in Pennsylvania. The Jackets also began asking themselves questions that will stay with them all season and probably longer.

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“We played golf with most of the guys, which was nice to be together,” said defenceman Zach Werenski. “We shared videos and pictures of John, and we shared good memories. One of the questions we asked ourselves was, ‘What would John want us to do in certain situations?’ He would want us to enjoy coming to the rink and being with our teammates, being together and enjoying the moment.”

It won’t be easy. In fact, it’s probably the furthest thing from what anyone could imagine. Playing hockey less than two weeks after saying goodbye to a teammate, a friend and his beloved brother may seem a little trivial at first, but it can also be comforting.

“I mean, to say we know exactly what to do, I don’t think that’s fair,” Capt. Boone Jenner said. “I don’t think there’s a playbook for the situation that’s happened, and that’s OK. We’re going to learn and lean on each other as we go, whatever shape that takes. Just staying true to ourselves and really helping each other out is going to allow us to figure this out and get through it.”

They’re determined to honour Gaudreau’s memory, draw strength from it and build on their bond — none other than Monahan, who on Wednesday wore a black T-shirt bearing an action photo of Gaudreau in a Blue Jackets uniform over a red No. 13.

“He was probably my best friend and teammate for many years, and someone that… we’re going to miss him a lot as a team and, personally, I’m going to miss him,” he said. “I’m going to miss him for the rest of my life. There’s a lot of weight on our shoulders right now. It’s a huge loss, a special person gone and I think about it every day, every second. We want to do the best we can and do the best we can for Johnny.”

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@BrianHedger

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