National Hockey League All-Star Johnny Gaudreau was killed last Thursday when a suspected drunk driver struck him and his brother while they were riding bicycles on a road in New Jersey. Originally from Salem County, New Jersey, Gaudreau, 31, was visiting his hometown with his brother Matthew, 29, for his sister’s wedding, which was scheduled for the following day.
Gaudreau, affectionately known as “Johnny Hockey” throughout the National Hockey League, was a seven-time NHL All-Star who currently played for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was riding bicycles with his brother shortly after 8 p.m. on Aug. 29 along a county road in Oldmans Township in New Jersey. Sean Higgins, who was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee, was stuck in traffic around the same time and tried to pass two vehicles when he hit the Gaudreau brothers and killed them, according to reports.
Both Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were pronounced dead at the scene.
New Jersey State Police, who investigated the accident, charged Higgins with two counts of vehicular homicide in the second degree. Higgins confessed to drinking five or six beers before the accident, according to an affidavit filed with the Salem County Superior Court Friday, multiple outlets reported. They were less than 24 hours away from being groomsmen at their sister’s wedding in Philadelphia.
“Mr. Higgins explicitly stated to the effect that his consumption of alcoholic beverages contributed to his impatience and reckless driving, which resulted in the motor vehicle accident,” read the affidavit.
“Through further investigation, Higgins was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol,” New Jersey State Police Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron said in a news release.
Johnny leaves behind a wife, Meredith, and their two young children, a daughter born in 2022 and a son born in February 2024. Matthew leaves behind a pregnant wife, Madeline. The couple announced they were expecting their first child in June of this year.
Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau posted some memories and statements on Instagram over the weekend in honor of her late husbands and brothers-in-law.
“John and Matty. U don’t hear one name without the other,” Meredith Gaudreau posted under pictures of her late husband and brother-in-law. “Always side by side. Even in large group settings, u can find them hip to hip. John’s younger brother – but he looked up to Matty and relied on him for everythinggg. And Matty was always there. Absolute best friends and biggest fans of each other despite polar opposite personalities. Everyone wanted to be around them, including me.”
“I have no words. I just miss you,” Madeline wrote on an Aug. 31 Instagram post. “I don’t know my life without you. I have never experienced a pain like this. I am so blessed you choose me to be your wife.. to love me. you are the best thing about me. I know you are watching down in just as much pain as I am looking up. I will keep going for you and our son. I love you so much matthew.”
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Katie Gaudreau, the bride-to-be and younger sister of Johnny and Matthew, also posted on Instagram on Monday in honor of her brothers.
“To know these two was to love these two,” she posted on Instagram underneath photos of her family. “There are absolutely no words I have to express the bond my family shared. The entire world knows there would never have been a John without Matty or Matty without John. The absolute best big brothers a little girl could have asked for. This will never be a goodbye post because I will never stop saying your names and honoring you both. I’ll take the best care of mom, dad, Kristen, Mer, Madeline, and your babies.”
Several professional sports teams that had games over the weekend held moments of silence for the Gaudreau brothers. This included the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Yankees, and the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.
