Blue Jackets wear ‘signature Johnny fit’ for Stadium Series arrival 

COLUMBUS -- It was late in training camp when the Columbus Blue Jackets leadership group began a conversation about the outfits they should wear when walking into Ohio Stadium for the franchise's first outdoor game.

Not surprisingly, they thought of Johnny Gaudreau, their teammate who was killed with his brother, Matthew, when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding bicycles in Salem County, New Jersey on Aug. 29.

"We wanted to do something to honor John," defenseman Zach Werenski told NHL.com, "and we thought no better way than to dress like him."

That's exactly what the Blue Jackets players did Saturday when they arrived at The Ohio State University for the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game against the Detroit Red Wings (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, TVAS-D, FX-CA).

The players all dressed at Nationwide Arena and bussed to St. John Arena for a pregame pep rally wearing what captain Boone Jenner called a "signature Johnny fit."

Black Ugg boots.

Black sweats.

Avalon Surf Shop sweatshirt purchased at the store in Avalon, New Jersey.

Black AMIRI hats with three black stars. Facing forward.

"If you knew John, you get it," forward Sean Monahan said.

The Blue Jackets players all have vivid and fond memories of Gaudreau wearing that exact outfit almost everywhere he went off the ice. That same greenish sweatshirt, black sweats, Ugg boots and black on black hat.

"His style was definitely more unique, more laidback," Werenski said. "He wore the same stuff all the time. I think that's what made him in a sense a special person, how laid back he was. Part of that was his style. We just thought it was a great idea to dress like him."

To make it happen, Jenner said the players first had to get Johnny's widow, Meredith, on board with the plan.

"She helped us a lot with pictures, trying to find his signature Johnny fit," Jenner said. "We have to thank her a lot.

Meredith got the sweatshirts for the players at the Avalon Surf Shop in Avalon, the South Jersey shore town where the Gaudreaus would spend their offseasons.

The hats came from Mike Amiri, the fashion designer behind the label that bears his last game.

"Those are expensive hats," Werenski said. "I think they're like 500 bucks. They're designer. It was the one hat he wore all the time. They caught wind of what we were doing and they decided to comp them."

It's the same hat Meredith bought for Johnny years ago that he wore almost every day.

"He wore that sweatshirt a lot; just a simple hoodie, simple sweats," Jenner said. "He's got the Ugg boots that he'd always wear in the winter. ‘'Mer’ bought him that Amiri hat with the three stars and he wore it all the time. It's pretty funny, the ones we're wearing are black, but his was pretty beat down with sweat stains.

"When we see these outfits we think of him and it reminds us of him," Jenner added. "It's very special to us. We wanted to make sure we put the right pieces in to honor him the right way, the whole fit. I think it's a good tribute the way it's done. It's not hockey equipment, just street clothes, more the person he was and the good memories we have."

All of the clothing was ready for the players at Nationwide Arena when they arrived there Saturday.

On Friday, Werenski said he couldn't wait to put it all on, and that for him, honoring Gaudreau in this unique way might be the most special part of the day at Ohio State because it's making sure everyone remembers him for the person he was, not just the hockey player.

"I feel like if we didn't have this, we probably wouldn't have cared what we wore, or at least I wouldn't have, but this means so much for so many and I think it's a great way to start our day here at the field," Werenski said. "I think people will think it's clever and know that it means something, that it's impactful. It's not just something for Ohio State or college football. It's something that hits home for our team, our group. We're walking into the building to honor John. It's great for our group to get into that mindset of why we're doing it and who we're doing it for."