Columbus Blue Jackets

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were honored before the game with the Gaudreau family in attendance.

Sean Higgins had a blood-alcohol level of .087, which is above the state’s .08 legal limit, and he failed a field sobriety test, police said.

Emotions ran high in Columbus on Tuesday night, when the Blue Jackets paid tribute to their star Johnny Gaudreau and his late brother Matthew at their home opener against the Florida Panthers.

An emotional night awaits in Columbus on Tuesday, when the Blue Jackets host the Florida Panthers. It will be a night of tributes to Gaudreau.

With a new season starting Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild, the Blue Jackets are setting their sights on success.

The Columbus Blue Jackets season opens Thursday night after the tragic and unexpected loss of star player Johnny Gaudreau in August.

An emotional video tribute to Johnny Gaudreau and 13 seconds of silence — for his uniform number — opened the Columbus Blue Jackets' first game at Nationwide Arena since the star player's death nearly a month ago.

The Flyers tapped their sticks in appreciation of Guy Gaudreau, a former hockey coach at Hollydell Ice Arena and Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, when he hit the ice to assist with drills during practice. The Flyers shook Gaudreau’s hand at the end of the skate in appreciation and thanked him for helping out.

One of the worst teams in the NHL last season, the Blue Jackets must find a way to move forward with a new general manager and new coach and with a huge void left on and off the ice by the death of the 31-year-old Johnny Gaudreau.

Hearing the familiar sounds of clacking sticks and pucks banging off the boards and glass while watching Columbus Blue Jackets prospects from the stands of a cold rink on a warm late-summer afternoon was not enough to wash away the lingering residuals of grief for Don Waddell on Saturday.