As I sit here and try to process the loss of Johnny and Matty Gaudreau it seems unimaginable what the entire family is going through right now. When I think about Johnny Hockey it dates back to the early 2000’s when I saw this kid who might’ve been 4 feet tall standing on a phonebook and tipping the scale at a lean 39 lbs at the age of 10. We were both 1993 born products and at the time Johnny was playing for the Boston Iceman at least during the summers, a AAA allstar that would travel from tourney to tourney. It was in Toronto at the Ronald McDonald tournament featuring basically all the best teams in North America for each age group when I first saw JG. Our Bauer Select team ended up beating the Boston Iceman in the first game of round robin play 7-6. The kid who was almost two feet shorter than some of our players had 5 tucks and 1 apple in the losing effort. I remember thinking at that age who the hell is this? That was the beginning of the legend. Johnny barely tied his skates, he wore them like slippers while stickhandling in a phone booth all over the sheet dancing around as a true magician and showmen. Hockey looked so fun playing the way he did with so much grace and creativity. He then went onto play for the Philly Little Flyers and Dubuque Fighting Saints where we saw each other again and again. I remember thinking is this going to be the level he can’t play at? He’s too small right? And every level he went up he was better all the way to the show. One of my favorites to watch with an infectious smile and pure joy for the game. I only got to hang out with him in passing whether it was a USA select camp or World Junior camp but from afar he just seemed like that dude. The dude you want around creating the vibe. I’m heartbroken for his family, friends and everyone that was touched by him. Selfishly, I wish I could’ve told him he was one of my favorite players to ever do it. Stay dangling up there boys 😥💔❤️
RIP Johnny & Matty
The next member of the Class of 2028 is Wyatt Schmidek. Wyatt played his high school hockey at Belmont Hill before spending a year in the CCHL with the Hawkesbury Hawks. Welcome to the Hill, Wyatt!
Release | The Central Canada Hockey League is pleased to announce @RenfrewWolves forward Jace Letourneau has been awarded the Most Valuable Player for the 2023/24 season.🏆
🗞️ | thecchl.ca/release-wolves…
📸 | icelevel.com
Graphic | Mark Kelly
Release | The Central Canada Hockey League is pleased to announce the 2023/24 Academic All-Star Team.📓
Brayden Besner (2006, Casselman, ON native) from the @hawkesburyhawks
Nicolas Papineau (2004, Gatineau, QC native) from the @Nepeanraiders
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Jay Carter finishes his career with a stat line of 66 goals, 75 assists, 141 points in 77 games. One more point than Derek Swaim (Jason’s dad) on the all-time list. His 66-pt season is the second best single season in C-C history, trailing only Tim Moreau’s 71 points in 1975.