NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew Gaudreau were killed after getting hit by a drunk driver. The devastating news that left the sporting world shook came out on Thursday night, and it was learnt that they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in New Jersey. Notably, Johnny, aged 31 and Matt, 29, were set to be groomsmen at their sister’s wedding which was scheduled to take place a few hours later in Philadelphia.
According to New Jersey State Police, the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on the roads of their hometown when a man driving an SUV attempted to pass two other vehicles, and ended up hitting them from behind. The brothers were declared dead on the spot. The driver, identified as Sean M Higgins was suspected of being under the influence and was charged with two counts of death by auto along with reckless driving, possession of open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Johnny Gaudreau, fondly called Johnny Hockey, played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third after signing a seven-year deal in 2022 with the Columbus Blue Jackets. On the other hand, his younger brother Matthew played pro hockey, but never made it to the NHL. The two brothers had close ties with Philadelphia and they grew up as Philadelphia Flyers fans and played for a junior hockey team, the Little Flyers.
May Johnny and Matthew fly high: LeBron James and others mourn death of Gaudreau brothers
The devastating news shook the sporting fraternity, and several notable personalities including NBA icon LeBron James took to X to pay their tributes to the duo. James tweeted, “Insane man! I instantly got so down and sad after reading the story. My thoughts and prayers goes out to the Gaudreau family! May Johnny and Matthew fly high, guide/guard and bless their family/s from the heavens above.”
Apart from him, Columbus Blue Jackets said, “He (Johnny) 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.”
Tributes poured in from across the globe for Johnny and Matt and players of the Slovakian and Hungarian hockey teams as well as fans inside the arena observed a moment of silence before their Olympic qualification match.
In addition to this, the entire NHL fraternity as well as fans have come together and have contributed to a GoFundMe campaign to support Matthew’s wife. Notably, the couple were expecting their first child soon, which promoted the campaign’s launch.