An award honoring Johnny Gaudreau and his legacy

Johnny hockey wasn't just a huge figure on the ice, but he supported initiatives for mental health, Pizza 73, and the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, and did many other things for children who may not be able to live a "normal" life for one reason or another but still loved the Flames as much as any other fan. Wwhile he was doing that, Gaudreau was one of the best producers in the history of the Flames organization.

In his nine years with the Flames organization, Gaudreau played 602 games and registered 609 points, which is an impressive 1.01 points per game. He made the 2014-15 All-Rookie team, was a one-time All-Star, and won the 2016-17 Lady Byng Trophy. He's ninth all-time in goals scored by a Flames player and fifth all-time in assists by a Flames player. He was one away from hitting 400 in his career with Calgary. Finally, he was fifth in team history in points.

The Blue Jackets and Flames will inevitably honour him, but many on social media today proposed naming an NHL award after Gaudreau, to which the response was resoundingly in favour of the idea.

Some in the hockey community proposed retiring the Lady Byng and creating a new award in Gaudreau's name.

No matter which way you might lean (or other ideas you have for awards that could be named after Johnny or both he and Matthew, which we'd love to hear), it feels like something named after a player who defined a generation of hockey for so many young people, including many of the young players in today's NHL like Cole Caufield, Kent Johnson, Trevor Zegras, and more, is an easy but thoughtful way to help a grieving community heal even just a slight bit. Recognition like that is excellent for healing fans, friends, family members, communities, and many more.

This loss hurts everyone in the hockey community. Even if you didn't know Gaudreau personally, he impacted so many lives with his play, his personality, and his charity work. It's a heartbreaking time right now. Hugging loved ones, being grateful for what we have, and supporting those in and close to the Gaudreau family are all we can do at this point.