Johnny Gaudreau’s widow called her husband “the best father in the world” and thanked him for “the best years of my life” in two Instagram posts paying tribute to the NHL player who died when his bike was hit by a car on the eve of his sister’s wedding.
“Even though I lost you, I’m still the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours,” Meredith Gaudreau said in a post on Saturday accompanied by several photos of the couple. “I love you so, so much. You were perfect. Some days it seemed too good to be true. I love every single thing about you. You are my forever and I can’t wait to be with you again. I love you so much forever and ever.”
A separate post included photos of Johnny Gaudreau with his children.
“The best dad in the world,” she said. “He’s so caring and loving. The best partner to spend parenthood with. John never missed a single appointment. He was the best at putting the baby to sleep and he was the apple of Noa’s eye. I love how much he looks like him. We’re going to make you proud. We love you so, so much, daddy.”
Gaudreau and his younger brother, Matt, were killed Thursday night when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bicycles in Oldmans Township, near their hometown of Carneys Point in southern New Jersey. Johnny, 31, and Matt, 29, were scheduled to be best men at their sister Katie’s wedding, which was scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia. The wedding was canceled.
“The kids grew up here,” said Wayne Pelura, a Carneys Point Township committeeman. “They were involved in youth sports here. Everybody knows them. Everybody knows the sisters. It’s a very, very sad situation.”
Police said the driver was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and was charged with two counts of death by motor vehicle accident, as well as reckless driving, possession of an open container and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the NHL and was set to begin his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million contract in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames.
Report from The Associated Press.
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