'A great friend': NHL star Matthew Tkachuk, who played with Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary, opens up about loss

'You guys all saw what he did on the ice. I was the lucky one out of everybody in this room to have a great relationship with him off. So those are the memories I will take. But it's been terrible,' said Tkachuk Wednesday

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk estimated that he tells a story about Johnny Gaudreau’s exploits, both the on-ice and off-ice variety, to somebody at least once a week.

And he’s not going to stop, either.

Tkachuk spoke Wednesday about the death of his longtime friend and former teammate, calling Gaudreau “the most offensively talented player I’ve ever seen.” Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles on a rural road in New Jersey.

“It was such an honour to play with him,” Tkachuk said at Florida’s media day, the first formal event of the new season for the Panthers as they prepare to open defense of the Stanley Cup. “And you guys all saw what he did on the ice. I was the lucky one out of everybody in this room to have a great relationship with him off. So those are the memories I will take. But it’s been terrible. It really has.”