Calgary Flames Top 10: Johnny Gaudreau Moments
By Luke Ryan
Jan 24, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view as NHL players line up during player introductions before the 2015 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
This deserves an honorable mention, not as a Calgary Flames moment though he was wearing the team jersey.
All-Star games often aren’t the best in terms of the hockey on display with players seeking to keep themselves from getting injured or just generally not showing much interest.
However in recent times, the Skills Competition has been an absolute highlight reel of fun and personality for the guys involved.
Johnny Gaudreau had his own moment in the sun, courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers forward, Jakub Vorachek.
Mimicking an earlier play by Columbus Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen, who slotted home with the help of a young child sitting on the players’ bench; Vorachek pulled up short of the net and grabbed the diminutive winger to mimic the move.
The fact that this was Gaudreau in his rookie year with the Calgary Flames and who is dwarfed by most of the league’s other players wasn’t lost on those in attendance, as the crowd and players alike applauded the amusing spectacle of Gaudreau being man-handled into netting a goal.
Whilst as noted, the goal meant very little given it was in the Skills Competition, it showed the growing high regard the league’s other players had for the then first-year rookie.
Likewise, the crowd all recognized exactly who it was that Vorachek was bringing forward, such had been his prevalence prior to All-Star selection.
This moment in the sun was arguably a lot bigger than it may have been made out and could be argued as marking the beginning of him being considered a ‘franchise player’ for the Calgary Flames.
Next: #10: Showing Pre-Season Promise