Vladar says Flames won for Gaudreau: 'This one's for him'

Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar summed up his feelings following Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on a night when both clubs paid tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau.

"Lots of emotions," Vladar said. "At that point, you kind of don't really want to play hockey, but then you remember Johnny (and) how he always wanted to play hockey with a smile on. This one's for him, and he was watching us for sure."

Every player in warmup wore Gaudreau's No. 13 - for the Flames' 13th home game of the season, no less. The team also held a touching pregame ceremony that included members of Gaudreau's family. The fans in Calgary capped the night by chanting "Johnny Hockey" in the final moments before the former Flame and Blue Jacket player was named the first star of the game.

"Goosebumps, sadness, but at the same time, he's going to be remembered as an unbelievable person, and he's still here with us," Vladar said.

Flames captain Mikael Backlund echoed Vladar's sentiments, calling Tuesday a " very special, emotional night."

"To finish off with the fans cheering his 'Johnny' chant, that was great," the forward said. "It gave me some goosebumps and made me feel how much Johnny felt to the city."

Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson conveyed the mixed emotions he felt.

"It was a great night overall, and to see (the Gaudreau family) here, but at the same time, it sucked, right? But it was great to see them all here, to see how loved he was and still is in this city," he said.

Andersson also described how it felt to open the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the second period.

"There's so much emotion going through your body," he said. "They know I love them, and that me and my family will always be here for them. So yeah, it was just very emotional scoring."

Flames head coach Ryan Huska said he was "super proud" of his players and acknowledged that the game "was a hard one."

Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles on the eve of their sister Katie's wedding in their home state of New Jersey in August.