COLUMBUS, Ohio — Johnny Gaudreau crossed Ryan Pulock’s mind on the plane to Columbus Tuesday night, and that doesn’t make Pulock unique. It’s hard not to have the former Blue Jackets superstar on the field here in central Ohio.

Gaudreau’s face is still on the marquee outside Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets left it in tribute. His number 13 jersey is displayed in the windows of the building.

Screens outside the building display a message in memory of Johnny and his brother Matthew, who were both killed by suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey., on August 29.

Walking into the Blue Jackets locker room, where his locker was left untouched, feels like intruding on someone else’s pain, even when the entire hockey world shares it.

“I was lucky enough to play with Johnny at a few World Championships (in 2017 and 2018), I had some wonderful times with him,” Anders Lee said Tuesday, a day before the Islanders faced the Blue Jackets for the first time this season . “Not just on the ice, but off it, having fun. You’ve heard a lot about him, but he’s a very solid guy. “He is a special person and a special talent.”

Lee had the pleasure of touring Cologne, Germany; Herning, Denmark; and Copenhagen, where the World Championships were held in 2017 and 2018, with Gaudreau as part of Team USA, taking home bronze with a victory over Canada in the latter tournament.

“We go there and you play in the World Championship, you meet a lot of the guys, you see a lot of the guys you’ve played against and you play for your country, which is pretty special,” Lee said. “But you go and play hard and there are also opportunities to have fun. I had a bit of fun with Johnny and the team, enjoying each other’s company, having a few drinks and hanging out. And those are the memories I will take with me when I meet Johnny.

“It was a lot of fun off the court, but I also played online with him in one of the tournaments. Just the good hockey we played, the way he made it easy with his talent. He will record it on your tape.

Brock Nelson was part of that 2017 team, as well as last summer’s U.S. team at the World Championships in Czechia, the last competition Gaudreau participated in before the accident.

“I think he was a really happy guy. Really soft-spoken, reserved, just quiet and went about his business,” Nelson said. “A great teammate and friend to a lot of guys, he meant a lot as a hockey player, but beyond that, (as a) brother, husband, father, son. And he was just a good guy and comes from a good family, so it’s a horrible situation and a tragedy.”

In a more just world, Gaudreau would be leading a Blue Jackets team that started in a nice 4-3-1, and the Islanders would have answered questions about how to slow him down on the ice.

Perhaps Gaudreau would have spent Wednesday morning answering questions about the Islanders’ pursuit of him in 2022 in free agency, when he shocked the hockey world by signing a seven-year deal with Columbus.

Instead, like every other team that passes through Columbus, the Islanders reflected fondly on their memories of No. 13.

“I think for anyone who knew Johnny, I think the first time you go back there, it’s going to bring back a lot of memories and different emotions,” Nelson said. “It’s sad. There’s not much to say beyond that and just give the family everything you can. Support, thoughts, prayers. Just try to remember Johnny and the times you had. “He was a special person.”