Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche under fire for disrespect of Johnny Gaudreau
The Colorado Avalanche celebrated Nathan MacKinnon on Saturday night, but are now under fire after not tributing Johnny Gaudreau while playing his former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets in a highly anticipated home opener.
This off-season, the NHL saw the tragic passing of one of the game's greatest and most beloved players in Johnny Gaudreau, and for many fans, players, officials and teammates, it's been a very tough time since then. In the early part of the season, every team has paid tribute in some way to Johnny Hockey, with every team wearing helmet decals to honour Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, while most have played a video tribute before their games along with a 13-second moment of silence.
Unfortunately, the Colorado Avalanche are now under fire on social media, as the team opted to forego a Gaudreau tribute as they presented Nathan MacKinnon with his Hart Trophy, and while that was no doubt a great moment, fans still believe a short video package and a 13-second moment of silence should have been done.
This becomes even more egregious when you realize that they were playing the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team that Gaudreau called home for the final two years of his career, with seemingly every other team in the league using a video to honour the fallen star. It's unlikely that they will come under any heat from the NHL or opposing teams, as most will recognize that they were tributing MacKinnon and his Hart Trophy, but given how important Gaudreau was to the NHL and the sadness it filled the entire NHL world with, it's hard to see why they wouldn't have done something here.
