Lucas Gaudet will be honored at first hockey game since his slaying

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Manni Leo was preparing for a hockey practice in Pierrefonds two weeks ago when he noticed that one of his most enthusiastic players wasn’t in the dressing room.

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Leo sent 16-year-old Lucas Gaudet two texts that night asking why he hadn’t shown up, but received no response.

The affable coach had seen Lucas grow up at rinks in Pierrefonds and it was unusual for the keen defenseman to miss practice.

Leo would later learn that Lucas was fighting for his life in hospital after being stabbed during a fight between two groups of students outside St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire. The popular defenseman died two days after he was attacked with a knife.

His senseless death has horrified parents and traumatized his teammates, teachers, and fellow students at John Rennie High School, where he was a Grade 10 student.

On Tuesday night, his Pierrefonds Barracudas U18 AA teammates plan to honor the top-four defenseman with a moment of silence prior to the game, the first since his death and the December COVID-19 shutdown. The team has already affixed stickers to their helmets bearing Lucas’s name, jersey number and angel wings.

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Two days after Lucas died, his parents had an emotional reunion with the team at the Sportsplexe Pierrefonds. They said they had forgiven the teen who stabbed their son and didn’t want any retaliation.

“They hugged every single player like it was their child,” Leo recalled. “It was hard, it was hard to watch.”

Guy Gaudet and Lynne Baudouy wore their son’s hockey jersey to the meeting and said they would attend all remaining games this season.

“They were so strong,” Leo recalled.

Leo invited a counselor from the Lester B. Pearson School Board to attend the meeting, so players are aware that help and support is available at their schools on the West Island. “My goal and focus is making sure my players are doing well,” Leo said in an interview.

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A 16-year-old youth has been charged with second-degree murder and the attempted murder of a second youth who was also stabbed during the violent altercation. He is being held in juvenile detention facility and will appear in court March. 1. His name cannot be published because he is a minor. Two other teenage suspects have been arrested and were released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.

Leo knows that coaching for the first time without Lucas on the bench won’t be easy.

“It will be an emotional night,” said Leo, whose son also plays on the team. “Lucas always had a smile on his face. “He was always happy to joke around, but he was serious about the game. I have loved hockey.”

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