CALGARY – The first time Rasmus Andersson met Johnny Gaudreau, he worried the fun would never end.
As Flames hopefuls, Andersson and Andrew Mangiapane had stayed in Calgary after Flames development camp for a week of power skating that coincided with the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
“We didn’t even know what Stampede was,” smiled Andersson, one day after returning from Gaudreau’s funeral.
“It’s this party downtown, you know, a festival kind of thing. We were like, ‘All right, we’re down. Development camp’s over, like, sure, we’ll go.’
“We got introduced to Johnny, and then we went out with Johnny every day for a week. We got home at 3 a.m. and had power skating at 6:30 a.m.
“Mang and I went home and took a nap and woke up (to Gaudreau’s phone call.)”
Johnny wanted to rinse and repeat.
“I looked at Mang and was like, ‘Wow, Johnny calling again,’” he chuckled.
“Mang said, ‘Well, we gotta go – it’s Johnny.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, we’re going then.”
From honourary Calgarians to instant locals.
From wide-eyed rookies to two-stepping with a superstar, they formed a bond so tight their last time together came this summer when Andersson and Gaudreau were best men at Mangiapane’s wedding.
In light of Gaudreau’s passing alongside his brother when a suspected drunk driver hit them while they cycled on Aug. 29, it’s a memory Andersson will cherish even more.
“I’m really glad we got the chance to hang out at Mangy’s wedding,” said the Flames’ 27-year-old defenceman, who is four years younger than Gaudreau.
“We didn’t really know Mangy’s buddies from his hometown too well, so me and Johnny didn’t leave our sides, unless we slept, for 72 hours.”
At breakfast with their wives the day before the wedding, they picked up where they left off at that first Stampede together.
“Me and John looked at each other like, ‘Oh, it’s 11 a.m., what time’s the bar open?” beamed Andersson, 27, so happy he flew in from Sweden for the affair.
“I say, ‘Could we possibly get a beer?’ and he goes, ‘Yeah, of course.’ So we were sitting there until 5 p.m. just drinking beers and having fun.”
Andersson spent four years sitting next to Gaudreau on the charter flights, playing cards with Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan.
While confined to hotels during Covid, Andersson, Gaudreau, Mangiapane and Buddy Robinson all bought computers and congregated in Johnny’s spacious hotel room.
“We sat and gamed for, like, nine hours straight, and Johnny would order some food,” he laughed.
“He tricked Mang that he had a thing in his contract that he had to have a suite in every hotel, and Mangy would always play that card, so he would order room service too.”
“I’ll always think about our good times we had together, like those.
“He was the most humble guy there was. Quiet guy in the room but once you really got to know him, you’d see the real side. And once you got to know him, you had a friend for life.”
No one who ever played with him will forget Gaudreau’s pre-skate routine, which was as quick as his hands.
“We’re all sitting in the dressing room, 20 minutes before the practice starts, getting dressed, and he’d show up two minutes before,” Andersson said.
“We always thought he had a one-zip on his equipment, because he was that quick, and he was on the ice.
“No tape, no nothing, he looked like a high schooler playing hockey with his style. Then he’d go out and dangle you in practice.
“I remember I accidentally hit him one time in practice. He did not talk to me for, like, 10 days. I’m like, ‘John, it’s been like, nine days now.’
“He’s like, ‘never hit me again.’”
It’s tough to imagine anything has hit harder in Andersson’s life than Gaudreau’s death.
“Me and Johnny would always call each other when we had a few drinks and chirp each other,” said Andersson.
“I’ll miss those phone calls, that’s for sure.”
Asked if he’ll dedicate the season in some way to his pal, Andersson said he has yet to figure out how he will honour Gaudreau this season.
“I haven’t really gotten that far yet, I’ve just been trying to get by (Monday’s funeral),” said Andersson, who joined Blake Coleman, Mikael Backlund and a few others on a private flight to the service in Pennsylvania.
“He’s always going to be by my side.
“I’ll try to figure something out, that’s for sure – he’s too close a friend.
“I’m glad we went and had that final farewell. It was tough. But we’re always going to be here for the Gaudreau family, that’s for sure.”