Late Thursday evening, Aug. 29, Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were fatally struck by an SUV while riding bikes on a New Jersey roadway.
The South Jersey natives — both of whom played hockey just 30 minutes south of West Chester in Aston, Pennsylvania in their youth — had returned to their hometown to be groomsmen in their sister’s wedding, which was scheduled for Friday afternoon in Philadelphia.
Police said the SUV driver attempted to pass a slower vehicle when he hit the Gaudreau brothers, who were riding along the right side of the road. According to an article from The New York Post, the New Jersey state trooper who responded to the scene and interacted with the driver smelled alcohol on his breath. Later, the driver admitted to having “five to six” beers.
The Gaudreau brothers’ unexpected passings have saddened the entirety of the hockey community, including local community members.
Joey Macrina, Quinnipiac University hockey commit from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, reflected on how Johnny Gaudreau impacted his childhood hockey career. “My love for John and his brother grew very quickly in the summer of 2017, when I was at Hollydell Ice Arena for a summer tournament. They were always around the rink within those couple days, taking pictures with everyone who asked and treating everyone with such humility. The amount of people wanting to talk to them and take pictures with them was insane. I remember standing in line outside a locker room just so I could take a picture with John.”
Joey continued, “I began to realize how cool it was that John played in the NHL, at the height he stood at. He is listed at 5’9, but he may even be shorter than that. The way he moved on the ice and the way he showed his passion and love for the game every time he was on the ice was remarkable. That inspired me as a smaller guy and gave me the hope and faith that some day I could play in the league like he did.”
“Johnny was always the first to raise his hand to give back to his community…When we had charity requests, we always knew he would say yes, without hesitation,” NHL executive Brian Burke wrote in a statement on X.
A statement from the Philadelphia Flyers mentioned that “Johnny and Matthew were deeply rooted in the Philadelphia and New Jersey community, where they spent their childhood on the ice.”
Known in the hockey world as “Johnny Hockey,” Johnny Gaudreau played for the Philadelphia Little Flyers, a youth hockey organization based in Aston, Pennsylvania, starting at the PeeWee level in 2004 and continuing into the 2008-09 season.
In a detailed Facebook statement, Philadelphia Little Flyers and IceWorks Skating Complex, where the Little Flyers play, said that “No matter how successful they were, they always picked up the phone and were willing to help promote the game in any way possible locally.”
Matthew Gaudreau played for the Little Flyers from 2007-2009 and later reconnected with the Flyers organization where he played for their ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals. He went on to play professionally for five seasons and then returned to his alma mater, Gloucester Catholic High School, to coach for the boys varsity team.
“Johnny and Matt were incredible hockey players and students, but even more amazing human beings,” Gloucester Catholic Principal Thomas Iacovone, Jr. said in a statement. “Their loss will be felt forever by the entire Gloucester Catholic community and by me personally.”
In 2011 Johnny Gaudreau went on to play Division I Hockey at Boston College. In 2014, he was named the recipient of the Hobey Baker Award, awarded to the NCAA’s top ice hockey player. That same year, his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, was recruited to play alongside him.
“Both boys, Matty and Johnny, were remarkable young guys. Everybody knows Johnny because of hockey and the Olympics, but their family was just one of those unique families. And what makes it even harder to comprehend is the younger sister is getting married today. I mean — an alleged drunk driver with two young guys with their lives ahead of them … on bicycles,” said Jerry York, who coached Johnny and Matthew together at Boston College, as reported by CBS News.
Early Friday morning, a makeshift memorial began to form at Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, New Jersey, where the Gaudreaus’ father, Guy, works as the hockey director. Hockey sticks and flowers had been left outside the building in the brothers’ memory.
By Friday afternoon, Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, was flooded with flowers, hockey sticks, stuffed animals, notes, banners and other memorabilia.
Together, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau are survived by their parents, Guy and Jane; their two sisters, Katie and Kristen; their wives, Meredith and Madeline; and Johnny Gaudreau’s two children, Noa and Johnny.
Sophie Stair is a second-year English major with a minor in Journalism. ss1029515@wcupa.edu.