Gaudreau leaves All-Star Game with hat trick, plenty of memories

As we previously noted, the Honda NHL All-Star Weekend
is a family affair for Johnny Gaudreau
.
And leave it to a member of the Gaudreau clan to make sure Johnny Hockey's hat trick in Saturday's All-Star Game was celebrated properly.
Following the event, Gaudreau was told that after his third goal in the Metropolitan Division's 10-6 semifinal loss to the Atlantic that his cousin, Patrick, tossed his hat on the ice.

The All-Star Game is not exactly a time people want to lose a hat, but hey, when it's family, it's family.
"There was one hat out there," Gaudreau said. "I was wondering who it was. Now I know it was my family's. At least I saw one hat out there. But they have supported me from day one since I was a kid and through college and the NHL. For them to be here this weekend was really special for me. I was happy to get a few goals for them. It was nice."

Gaudreau's hat trick -- all off primary assists from Artemi Panarin -- allowed the defending champion Metropolitan squad to take a 6-4 lead, but the Atlantic stormed back with six straight goals to get the semifinal win on the way to the overall crown.
"It was awesome," Gaudreau said of scoring his sixth, seventh and eighth all-time goals in the All-Star Game. "We just couldn't slow down the Tkachuks."
Indeed, MVP Matthew Tkachuk had five points in the Atlantic's win, including his own hat trick, while brother Brady had a 1-3-4 line in the semifinal.
Still, in the end, the All-Star Game is nice to win, but it's also about the experience. For Gaudreau, one of the best parts was getting a chance to be on a line with Kevin Hayes, the Philadelphia representative who skated with Gaudreau at Boston College and was the third member of the line in the 3-on-3 battle along with Panarin.

"We're still close buddies and played together a long time ago," Gaudreau said. "It was great to play with him again. I love playing with him."
In the end, Gaudreau now gets a chance to relax and spend a few days with family after his seventh All-Star bid. But he'll leave with plenty of memories, including taking part in the Pitch 'n Puck golf event in the skills competition as well as his first All-Star hat trick, plus the chance to share a bench with such legendary figures as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
"It was fun," he said. "Had a blast playing with those guys. Wish we would have come out with the win, but it was a great experience. A lot of fun."