Jackie Redmond Grateful To WWE For NHL Remembrance
For three years now, Jackie Redmond has been part of two worlds, having worked for WWE as both a host and an interviewer, while also covering the NHL for TNT and the NHL Network. Recently, her two worlds collided, and not in a good way, following the death of former Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew. During a broadcast of "Raw" from Calgary, Redmond paid tribute to Gaudreau, who she had previously done a feature on while working with TNT.
In an interview with "Gabby AF," Redmond touched upon the tribute and how she began preparing to put something together when she realized that WWE would be coming to Calgary, where a memorial had been set up for Gaudreau.
"I was like 'I wonder if WWE would let me do something,'" Redmond said. "Even if its not on the show, maybe something on digital. It just feels like 'We're there. We're in the Saddledome. We're in tis home. There's this massive memorial outside. It feels silly to me, even though it's not wrestling related, but it's location related, and I feel like...almost disrespectful going in there and not acknowledging what the city and the fans there are going through.' And you know, WWE to their credit was like 'Let's do it. Let's actually do something on the show and acknowledge what's happening here.'"
Redmond admitted the moment was tough for her due to the raw emotion of Gaudreau's passing, and the pressure she put on herself to get it right.
"Hopefully I did it justice, and I think that I did," Redmond said. "But I'm really glad WWE let me do it, because I think it was cathartic for me in a lot of ways."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Gabby AF" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription