Boston College will honor former hockey players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau and Tony Voce with uniform patches, a sign on the boards in front of the team bench and other tributes this season.
All three died this summer: The Gaudreau brothers were hit by a car while bicycling in New Jersey the day before their sister’s wedding. Voce, a member of the Eagles’ 2001 national championship team, died suddenly at the age of 43; no cause of death has been released.
The school said there would be a moment of silence before Friday’s home opener against American International College as well as a video tribute. The Eagles will wear a patch with “TV,” “JG” and “MG,” and the initials will also be on the boards at the Conte Forum.
During warmups before the Hockey East opener against Maine on Nov. 8, all members of the BC team will wear the jerseys of either Voce or one of the Gaudreaus. The school’s trophy case has also been reconfigured to honor the players.
The 2014 Hobey Baker Award winner as the top player in college hockey, “Johnny Hockey” was a member of BC’s 2012 NCAA team who played 11 years in the NHL for Calgary and Columbus. His younger brother, Matthew, was a two-time Beanpot champion who led the Eagles in points as a senior.
Voce was a first team All-American and Hobey Baker Award Finalist in 2004.
The BC tributes are the latest in an outpouring of grief from the hockey community.
