The Flyers Invited Johnny Gaudreau's Dad, Guy, To Help Coach Practice Today
I can't even begin to imagine what life has been like over the last few weeks for Guy Gaudreau. Losing a child has to be the worst type of pain any parent can experience. Losing both of your sons at the same time is just unimaginably soul shattering. To make matters worse, Guy Gaudreau has had some health scares of his own over the last few years that has made dealing with this tragedy even more difficult from a physical standpoint.
It has to be an awful position to be in. On one hand, it feels like your entire world has stopped. But on the other hand, you still have to carry on. Not just for yourself but for your daughters, for your grandchildren, for your wife, and to make sure you can do everything you can to preserve and continue to pass on John and Matty's legacy. Nobody would blame Guy Gaudreau if it took him quite some time to get back out in public again. But when you're as much of a hockey guy as Guy Gaudreau is, getting back on the ice is the only medicine that really does the trick.
Maybe not a way to forget about everything going on in life, but a way to feel connected to his boys again. To be out on the ice doing the thing that the 3 of them all loved doing so much. So credit to the Flyers on inviting Guy out to practice, and hopefully it's an open invite for whenever he wants to get out there.
It's also a great reminder for all of the guys out there that it's about perspective. Some players on the ice today aren't going to make the Flyers' final roster. They're not going to win every game they play. They're going to make mistakes. But at the end of the day, it's just a game. It's just a job that these guys do. They love it, sure. But there are always more important things in life to focus on. The more Guy Gaudreau at Flyers practice, the better for everybody.
