NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed Thursday night when they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey, police said.
Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, are natives of Carneys Point, New Jersey, and were in the area for their sister Katie’s wedding scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia, where they were to serve as groomsmen.
New Jersey State Police said Friday that the Gaudreau brothers were riding their bicycles on a highway when a man driving in the same direction tried to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind, causing fatal injuries.
Police said the driver, Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and was charged with two counts of death by motor vehicle accident and booked into the Salem County Correctional Center.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 11 professional seasons in the league and was about to begin his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played his first nine with the Calgary Flames, a stint that included becoming one of the game’s best players and a fan favorite across North America.
“This is devastating news for all of us involved in the Gaudreau family,” Jerry York, who coached the Gaudreau brothers at Boston College, told The Associated Press by phone. “Both Matty and Johnny were tremendously admired by all of us. They were wonderful kids and made a big impression on us off the ice. We all know how talented they were on the ice, especially Johnny, a world-class Olympian and college star. … They left a tremendous impression on all of us. We’ll miss the hockey exploits they always had with us, but more importantly how they were when they were young.”
The Blue Jackets called it an unimaginable tragedy.
“Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but most of all, he was a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend,” the team said in a statement. “Johnny played with a great joy that was felt by everyone who watched him on the ice. He brought a genuine love of hockey with him wherever he played.”
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Gaudreau was part of a generation of hockey players who thrived in an era of speed and skill that made being smaller less of a handicap. He scored 20-plus goals six times and was a 115-point player in 2021-22 as a first-time NHL All-Star, when he had a career-high 40 goals and 75 assists.
“While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and spectacular skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a loving father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to everyone fortunate enough to have crossed his path,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Meredith; his children, Noa and Johnny; his parents, Guy and Jane; and his sisters, Kristen and Katie. And we mourn with his teammates, members of the Blue Jackets and Flames organizations, his many friends in hockey and countless fans around the world for whom he created indelible memories on and off the ice.”
Selected in the fourth round of the 2011 draft out of Calgary, Gaudreau helped Boston College win the NCAA championship in 2012 and in 2014 took home the Hobey Baker Award as the country’s top college player.
As a professional, Gaudreau was part of the NHL All-Rookie Team during his first season in the league and was third in voting for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2014–15.
Gaudreau was a player who scored 642 points per game in 644 regular-season and playoff games since breaking into the league. In 2022, he left the Flames to sign a seven-year contract worth nearly $69 million with the Blue Jackets that placed him and his young family in central Ohio, closer to his family in New Jersey.
Social media was filled with messages about Gaudreau.
USA Hockey said: “Words cannot adequately express the pain felt by the hockey community.” The flames said Gaudreau “came to Calgary as a young man and grew up here, not only as a superstar on the ice but also as a beloved member of our community.”
Former Flames teammate Blake Coleman posted that he was “completely heartbroken. The world just lost one of the best.”
“I don’t know why I’m typing this right now, I’m shaking, but Johnny was one of my favorite teammates I ever played with.” Retired goalkeeper Eddie Lack said“Always happy, always spreading positivity around him. Rest in peace, my friend, and I pray for your wonderful family. Hug your loved ones.”
NBA superstar LeBron James, a native of Akron, Ohio, said he was instantly saddened when he heard the news.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the Gaudreau family,” James said. “May Johnny and Matthew fly high, guide, protect and bless their family from heaven.”
In international play, Gaudreau holds the men’s world championship records for an American player with 30 assists and 43 points, breaking marks previously held by Patrick Kane earlier this year.
Gaudreau’s death is the latest off-ice tragedy to hit the organization in recent years. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 when a firework struck him in the chest while he was attending the wedding of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace’s daughter in Michigan.
The team will now have to deal with another unexpected loss three weeks before league-wide training camps begin.
“We will miss him dearly and do everything we can to support his family and ourselves during this tragedy,” the Blue Jackets said. “At this time, we ask for prayers for the Gaudreau family and that their privacy be respected as they grieve.”
Report from The Associated Press.
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