Meredith Gaudreau, the wife of late Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, announced the team’s first-round picks during the NHL draft on Friday.Johnny Gaudreau died last August along with his brother, Matthew, while the two were in New Jersey. The pair were riding bikes on a road when a drunk driver is alleged to have hit them. This came just hours before both were set to be groomsmen at their sister’s wedding.Gaudreau received a standing ovation and thunderous applause as she was introduced by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.Chants of “Johnny Hockey” also rang out among the crowd, which was Matthew Gaudreau’s nickname in the NHL.”Thank you,” said Gaudreau before reading off the pick. “I just wanted to take this time to thank every single team and every single fan base for your support for my family this past season. It’s truly an honor to be here, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.”Gaudreau then proceeded to announce that the Blue Jackets had chosen to draft Jackson Smith, who currently plays for the minor-league team of the Tri-City Americans in the Western Hockey League. He is an 18-year-old defenseman from Calgary, Canada.Smith was then handed his Columbus Blue Jackets jersey by Gaudreau, before posing for pictures with her and Bettman.Afterwards, Smith was taken off to meet Columbus’s managers, where he got a warm welcome.”What we really like, you know, is he’s one of the best skaters in the draft,” said Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell of why the team selected Smith. “And, you know, he can transport the puck. Get you out of trouble really easy, and you know, you need puck-moving defenseman in this game today. The game’s played very fast, and you know, we’re just very fortunate to be able to add a guy like Jackson to our lineup.”Gaudreau, who was still by Smith’s side, was then asked by a television host what it meant for her to be at the NHL Draft in honor of her late husband.”My greatest honor is representing him, so I’m just really happy to be here,” Gaudreau said.Meredith also made the Blue Jackets’ next pick later in the evening, which was goalie and Russian national Pyotr Andreyanov.See the full moment where Gaudreau announced the team’s pick here.

LOS ANGELES —

Meredith Gaudreau, the wife of late Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, announced the team’s first-round picks during the NHL draft on Friday.

Johnny Gaudreau died last August along with his brother, Matthew, while the two were in New Jersey. The pair were riding bikes on a road when a drunk driver is alleged to have hit them. This came just hours before both were set to be groomsmen at their sister’s wedding.

Gaudreau received a standing ovation and thunderous applause as she was introduced by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Chants of “Johnny Hockey” also rang out among the crowd, which was Matthew Gaudreau’s nickname in the NHL.

“Thank you,” said Gaudreau before reading off the pick. “I just wanted to take this time to thank every single team and every single fan base for your support for my family this past season. It’s truly an honor to be here, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.”

Gaudreau then proceeded to announce that the Blue Jackets had chosen to draft Jackson Smith, who currently plays for the minor-league team of the Tri-City Americans in the Western Hockey League. He is an 18-year-old defenseman from Calgary, Canada.

Smith was then handed his Columbus Blue Jackets jersey by Gaudreau, before posing for pictures with her and Bettman.

Afterwards, Smith was taken off to meet Columbus’s managers, where he got a warm welcome.

“What we really like, you know, is he’s one of the best skaters in the draft,” said Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell of why the team selected Smith. “And, you know, he can transport the puck. Get you out of trouble really easy, and you know, you need puck-moving defenseman in this game today. The game’s played very fast, and you know, we’re just very fortunate to be able to add a guy like Jackson to our lineup.”

Gaudreau, who was still by Smith’s side, was then asked by a television host what it meant for her to be at the NHL Draft in honor of her late husband.

“My greatest honor is representing him, so I’m just really happy to be here,” Gaudreau said.

Meredith also made the Blue Jackets’ next pick later in the evening, which was goalie and Russian national Pyotr Andreyanov.

See the full moment where Gaudreau announced the team’s pick here.