National Hockey League star Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed Thursday night when they were hit by a suspected drunk driver while cycling, New Jersey police said.
“Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, and brothers-in-law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates, two friends but truly two amazing humans,” a family spokesperson, Jim Gaudreau, said in a statement Friday. “We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support and we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers.”
The two brothers were scheduled to participate in their sister Katie’s wedding Friday—Matthew as a groomsman and Johnny as the ring bearer, according to ceremony details posted on wedding planning site The Knot. Katie and her fiancé have since canceled the wedding.
Matthew Gaudreau’s wife is currently pregnant with their first child, People magazine reported Friday, citing a baby registry and GoFundMe. (Johnny Gaudreau was a father of two, including a 7-month-old baby.)
According to New Jersey State Police, the brothers were out cycling on a country road in Salem County when they were hit from behind by 43-year-old Sean Higgins, who was trying to pass two cars in front of him. Higgins, they alleged, tried to pass one of the vehicles on the right when his car veered out to where the Gaudreau brothers were “close to the fog line of the roadway.”
Higgins, who told cops he had “five to six beers” before the fatal crash, was charged with two counts of death by auto.
During his first court appearance at Salem County Court on Friday, Higgins reportedly let out a frustrated sigh when he was told he would be jailed over Labor Day weekend until his next detention hearing on Sept. 5.
“So…I’m here until Thursday?” he said, reported the New York Post.
“The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy,” Gaudreau’s Ohio-based 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.”
Nicknamed “Johnny Hockey,” Gaudreau was an offensive player known for his playmaking, speed and creativity. A New Jersey native, he won the Hobey Baker Award, college hockey’s most prestigious individual trophy, in 2014 for his play with Boston College.
He went on to play nine seasons with the Calgary Flames and spent the last two with the Blue Jackets, making the NHL All-Star team seven times. “Our hearts are broken by this devastating loss,” said the Flames in a statement. “Johnny was and always will be a member of the Flames family and loved by all of Calgary.”
His brother Matthew, who also had a five-year pro hockey career, became the head coach of the Gloucester Catholic High School hockey team in Gloucester City, New Jersey, in 2022.
