OAN Staff James Meyers
8:54 AM – Friday, August 30, 2024
In a shocking tragedy, Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, have died, the team announced Friday morning on X.
The brothers were killed when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, Thursday evening, according to police.
Johnny was 31-years-old and his brother Matthew was 29-years-old.
The driver, Sean Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and was arrested. He has since been charged with two counts of death by auto. Police stated that the investigation is currently ongoing.
Higgins reportedly hit the brothers while attempting to maneuver around an SUV on County Route 551 just after 8 p.m.
The Gaudreau brothers, who were New Jersey Natives, had been in the area to be groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding that was scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.
“The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy,” the team said in a statement. “Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife, Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, their family and friends on the sudden loss of Johnny and Matthew.”
Gaudreau played for the Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames during 11 seasons in the NHL. Last season, he appeared in 81 games and tallied 48 points.
He leaves behind his wife, Meredith, and two children Noa, 1, and Johnny, 6 months.
“Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice,” the Blue Jackets wrote. “He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him.”
Gaudreau grew up in Oldmans Township in New Jersey outside Philadelphia and later attended Boston College, where he was named the Hobey Baker Award winner in 2014, which is college hockey’s highest individual award.
The Flames selected Gaudreau in the fourth round during the 2011 NHL Draft.
Gaudreau was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top rookie, and made the All-Star game seven times throughout his career.
“My focus was never squarely on making it to the NHL,” Gaudreau said in a 2016 Players Tribune essay. “I always just tried to advance to the next level, one rung at a time. It’s important to take it slow, because if you immediately try to compare your game to the guys playing in the league, you’re going to get down on yourself pretty quick.”
“I’ll never forget my first development camp with the Flames. I was just a college kid in every sense. And I saw these NHL players out there on the ice, and all I could think was, ‘What am I doing here?’ I was so wide-eyed, I almost wanted to ask for autographs.”
“Then the next development camp a year later, my attitude shifted to, ‘I think I know what I’m doing here.’ Until finally I got to the point where I was on the ice with NHL players and felt okay telling myself, ‘I know what I’m doing here.’”
His brother Matthew played hockey at Boston College before signing with the New York Islanders’ minor league affiliate in 2017. He last played professional hockey in 2021, playing in Sweden and the ECHL in the U.S.
The death of the Gaudreau brothers is the latest off-ice tragedy. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, 24, died in 2021 of chest trauma after being struck by an errant fireworks mortar during a private party. He was attending the wedding of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace’s daughter in Michigan.
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