“We will love you like family always!”: Rasmus Andersson’s wife Tessa pens emotional message for late NHLer Johnny Gaudreau’s family

Since the tragic death of Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau on Aug. 29, the hockey community has paid heartfelt tributes to the memory of the late NHLers and shown support to their family. Several of Johnny’s former Calgary Flames teammates spent Thanksgiving with his wife, Meredith, and children. Among them were Flames alternate captain Rasmus Andersson and his wife, Tessa.

On Friday, Tessa Andersson shared a clip on her Instagram stories from their Thanksgiving gathering, where the families posed for a group photo. It was part of a documentary in memory of the late Columbus Blue Jackets forward.

“🤍🤍🤍 we will love you like family always! @meredithgaudreau_,” Tessa captioned the post.

via Instagram/@tessaiandersson

Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith reposted the story on her own account and expressed her gratitude to their friends. She added:

“Feel lucky I got to spend thanksgiving with these ppl. Even if it consisted of donuts and frozen pizza 😏😂🤷‍♀️”

via Instagram/@meredithgaudreau_

In a separate post, Meredith also thanked Johnny’s former teammate and close friend Sean Monahan and his wife, Brittany, for their constant support. In a heartfelt Instagram post, Meredith described how the couple helped with household tasks, spent time with her children, and celebrated holidays with them.

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Johnny Gaudreau’s wife reacts to Flames goalie Dan Vladar’s tribute mask in memory of Gaudreau brothers

Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar debuted a special mask honoring Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau during Friday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

The mask features a bold Flames logo on the front, Vladar’s number 80 on the chin, and airbrushed black-and-white portraits of the Gaudreau brothers. Johnny is depicted on the left side of the mask and Matthew on the right.

Meredith Gaudreau reshared a post from Sportsnet on her Instagram stories that featured a clip showing Vladar in the tribute mask. She expressed her gratitude in the caption.

“Thank you Vlady”, she wrote with two red heart emojis.

via Instagram/@meredithgaudreau

Johnny Gaudreau’s mother Jane also took to X on Friday to express her appreciation for the gesture shown by the Flames goaltender

“Thank you @danvladar for the beautiful tribute for our boys! I can’t wait to see the new mask in a few days! ❤️🔥🏒🥅@NHLFlames”, she worte on X.

Johnny Gaudreau, who was originally drafted by the Flames in 2011, spent nine seasons with Calgary before joining Columbus in 2022. Tragically, Johnny and Matthew passed away in a cycling accident on August 29, struck by a suspected drunk driver near Salem County.