"It catches me off guard": Johnny Gaudreau's wife Meredith makes a big admission about No. 13's impact in the hockey community

Johnny Gaudreau's wife, Meredith, was invited with her family to the 2025 NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium in her husband's honor. Former defenseman P.K. Subban interviewed Meredith about Johnny’s legacy. Subban asked how it felt to see Columbus and the hockey world honor him.

Meredith said she was surprised but understood why he was special:

"It's unbelievable. Like, his impact amazes me. It catches me off guard, but l'm like, this is. I get it, though. Like, he was so special. And even I was with some of the Detroit wives today, and they all were wearing his pin, and Team USA girls all had 13 on. And, like, you know, what everyone's doing is so nice. Just to see his impact reach so far. And, like, that's crazy," Meredith said.

Johnny's mother, Jane, along with Meredith, Noa and Johnny Jr, led the Blue Jackets onto the ice before the puck drop.

Meredith later shared a funny moment when Jane asked if Johnny knew about his popularity:

"My mom actually made a funny comment. She's like, she doesn't know a lot about hockey. And she said, 'do you think John knew how famous he was?' And I was like, I don't know anymore. This is. This is so crazy. Like his impact has really reached so far," Meredith added.

Jane also shared a post in which she congratulated the team and said Johnny and his brother Matthew would be proud:

"Congratulations @BlueJacketsNHL! I know John and Matty are smiling down at you boys and so proud!💙❤️," Jane tweeted.

Columbus coach Dean Evason spoke about the night’s emotions. Dean Evason said the experience was incredible, pausing several times while speaking. He felt Johnny Gaudreau’s presence made the night even more special:

“This experience was incredible,” Evason said (via NHL.com). “Not just the win, obviously. That’s fantastic. But … All … All of the … All of the stuff with Johnny made it even extra special.”'

Meredith Gaudreau reacts to Columbus and Detroit’s touching tribute to Johnny Gaudreau

The Blue Jackets walked into the arena wearing Johnny Gaudreau’s signature outfit. The Detroit Red Wings also honored Johnny and Matthew. They arrived wearing jerseys from the brothers’ hockey careers, including their USHL and college teams.

A tribute video played in the first period, showing Jane Gaudreau wearing a No. 13 jersey. Fans chanted "Johnny Hockey!" and passed a large No. 13 banner around the stands. Meredith said she had not seen the banner before but was touched by how Columbus and Detroit honored Johnny Gaudreau:

“That’s incredible,” Meredith said via ESPN. “I didn’t see that before. It’s just so cool to see everything Columbus has done and everything Detroit’s doing in his honor. It’s really, really touching.”

Columbus won the game 5-3, moving ahead of Detroit in the playoff race.