Extra Ericsson: Does Johnny Gaudreau Have Enough Character To Be A Father?
Many people are asking this.
Recently, things haven’t been going all that great on-ice for the Calgary Flames, 2-1 win and new coach aside.
Off-ice is a different story.
Wednesday morning, the entire Flames family got great news. Centre Mikael Backlund and wife welcomed Oliver Backlund to the world. This was on top of a recent pregnancy announcement from Mr. and Mrs. Rasmus Andersson, who are expecting a son in the near future.
A productive quarantine indeed.
It’s easy to see why both Backlund and Andersson are fit to be fathers. Both are leaders in the Flames dressing room, respectful to the media, and are some of the most mature, hard-working Flames on the ice. Their character is the same, whether they’re playing hockey or going through their day-to-day life. I have no doubts that the next generation of Backlunds and Anderssons are being raised in good hands.
And if my theory holds true, I can think of one Flame who should stay away from fatherhood: Johnny Gaudreau.
Now, many accuse me of sinking to a new low by criticizing the diminutive winger on this issue, and that I’m making ridiculous claims about someone’s entire personality based on how they play hockey.
However, like most PHWA scribes, I see the forest, not the trees.
Let’s remember that the original team sport is family, and there are a lot of parallels between home life and hockey life. Hard work, selflessness, the ability to get through tough times all apply. Now which Flames player doesn’t fit those descriptions?
It’s hard to imagine Johnny Hockey being Johnny Home-y. What happens when it comes time to have that “talk” about the birds and the bees? If it’s like any time I ask a tough question, his kid will get a lot of “umms” and “uhhs” and clichés instead of a real answer. How will his family remain strong and unified when they know Johnny is leaving in two years? The dirty areas Gaudreau won’t go to at home? That’s right, taking out the trash.
It’s damning that Gaudreau has never worn the all-important “A” on the jersey, a testament to his lack of leadership and responsibility. Real fathers like Sean Monahan get to wear that “A” because management and coaches can trust them to be a solid foundation the rest of the team can rely on. I’ve always said that the captains are the fathers of a hockey team, so if the Flames won’t give Gaudreau that honour, what does it say about Gaudreau?
I think back to Gaudreau’s frequent no-shows in the playoffs and what that would mean for his family. Will he simply disappear in the tough moments that every home goes through? Will he be there, or will he just leave the issues to be dealt with by the mother? Not that there’s anything wrong with being raised by your mom, but Gaudreau’s history of going invisible in big moments can’t be ignored.
Another major issue, of course, is Gaudreau’s height: 5’9” is not father material. If Johnny Hockey can’t get the respect he wants from the 6 footers of the NHL, it’s impossible to see his children remaining obedient when they’re taller than their dad in grade eight. Could you imagine Gaudreau picking his kids up from school and the principal gives him a detention because a student shouldn’t be driving a car at that age? I can. I can very easily.
I haven’t even mentioned that he goes by “Johnny” and not “Jonathan,” another point against his maturity. Given that his best friend is named “Buddy” and his father is named “Guy” (perhaps it runs in the family?), I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume Gaudreau will bring his lackadaisical millennial attitude to the all-important subject of child-rearing.
Add all this together, and it’s clear that Gaudreau is not a family man. This puts him at odds with his own team, as the Flames have always put family first. Darryl Sutter is back in the fold and he made the classy gesture of dedicating his first win to the late Ken King, the team’s own patriarch. The organization goes way beyond hockey and ensures that these players act like the responsible young men that society expects them to be like.
And as always with these Flames, there’s one player who clearly doesn’t fit in with the rest.
I don’t know how to communicate this important information to Gaudreau. He famously has never taken any of my advice, but if anyone out there knows his fiancée (Katie, I know you read this, please answer my emails), it would be much appreciated if you could get this article to her.