There was a special guest was on the bench alongside Flames bench boss Bill Peters as he coached the Pacific Division All-Stars in yesterday’s All-Star Game. While Johnny Gaudreau was out there representing Calgary on the ice, his father, Guy, was invited to join Peters’ coaching staff for a night.
It was a special moment for Guy, who incurred a sudden cardiac event last March that nearly claimed his life — an emergency that briefly took Johnny out of the Flames’ active lineup at the time as he returned home to be with family.
However, as Peters acknowledges, Guy is also involved in his local hockey community in New Jersey. He played at the collegiate level, and has since continued to coach for 11 years. Being behind a NHL bench for a night must be even more special for someone who has dedicated themselves to the youth levels of the sport.
Don’t mistake Guy for a softie, though. He wasn’t going to play favorites just because his son was on the team.
As things turned out, the Pacific Division lost to the Central Division and failed to advance to the final game, but Johnny did manage to find twine after Peters rolled him out with Connor McDavid and Elias Pettersson late in the game.
Perhaps the results don’t mean much in an All-Star Game, but individually, these moments are what can really make the event special.
