NHL Journalist Under Fire After Tasteless Johnny Gaudreau Comment About Columbus Blue Jackets

The hockey world suffered an unspeakable tragedy over the summer with the death of NHL All-Star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.

Both Johnny and Matthew were struck by a drunk driver as they were out riding bikes the night before their sister’s wedding.

Now, NHL journalist Frank Seravalli is under fire from fans after he made an extremely tasteless remark about Gaudreau in a recent column.

Sereavilli, one of the sport’s most well-known journalists, released a piece making 32 predictions, one for each team, ahead of the start of the 2024-25 NHL Season.

But when he got to the Blue Jackets, he seemingly trivialized Gaudreau’s death by stating it would be the reason the Columbus got the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

NHL Journalist Frank Seravalli Makes Tasteless Johnny Gaudreau Remark

“14. With a little help from Gaudreau, the Columbus Blue Jackets will win the 2025 Draft Lottery,” Seravalli wrote. “It’s the only consolation prize on a brutal year, but hope and help is on the way. Bananas that the Blue Jackets have never won the Lottery”

Seravalli later changed the line to “with a little help from Gaudreau in heaven.”

It appears that he was trying to insinuate that Gaudreau would aid the Blue Jackets in winning the lottery through divine intervention. But the line could easy have been construed as saying Columbus would be bad thanks to Gaudreau being dead.

Unsurprisingly, fans were furious with the journalist.

Now, we’re going to give Seravalli the benefit of the doubt. It’s unlikely he was blaming Gaudreau for the team stinking. He probably felt he was offering up a nice sentiment, with Gaudreau aiding his former team.

But it came across terribly and he’s rightly being raked across the coals for it. And the fact that he’s the president of the Professional Hockey Writers Association only makes it worse.