Sean Monahan went through a nightmare 12 months along with everyone close to Johnny Gaudreau, and now the Blue Jackets star has opened up a year later. 12 months ago today, Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew were tragically struck by a driver and passed away, rocking not only the entire NHL world, but the sports world as well. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1961429306019905779'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/BlueJacketsNHL/status/1961398437792158090'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> The entire thing rocked everyone, with fans paying tribute in their own way to the iconic Johnny Hockey, who was sorely missed by everyone, especially those in Columbus and Calgary. <h3>Sean Monahan opens up on his best friend's passing</h3> One player that it hit especially hard was Sean Monahan, who revealed that 90% of the reason he signed in Columbus last July was to play with his former Calgary Flames teammate. For me, personally, I was coming to a new team. I went through being a UFA for the first time, and obviously 90% of the reason I went there was because of John. It was a time in my life and time in my hockey career where probably I was the most excited I've ever been. When <a href='https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/2025/08/29/johnny-gaudreau-tragedy-formed-instant-bond-between-sean-monahan-and-columbus-blue-jackets/85247621007/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>opening up on the whole situation</a>, Monahan revealed how hard it was to go to the rink every day, but with the support of everyone, Gaudreau's partner Meredith included, he managed to get to the rink every day and continue pushing through the pain. There's no manual for that situation. Honestly, I wasn't sure what was going to happen for me. It took a lot of different things just to get me to the rink. I was getting pushed by my wife, by Meredith and other teammates, and when I went ... I felt like the moment I stepped in that rink, it was the place I was supposed to be. It's a special place to play hockey. That was something Johnny convinced me to do, and I'm so happy he did because I got to hear so many stories from when we weren't playing together. Thankfully, Monahan found new relationships in Columbus to help him get through it, mainly in the form of Russian wingers Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko, and in his first season following Johnny's passing, he managed to put together a solid campaign with 19 goals and 57 points in 54 games played. Ultimately, Johnny Hockey's passing brings feelings for so many that won't ever go away, so the hope is that Monahan can continue pushing on to honour his friend by bringing some success to the team they were meant to play for together.