Gaudreau brothers tragedy
HodgePodge by Charlie Hodge
It’s a word often overused – yet so appropriate today.
Tragic.
It’s the first term that comes to mind when reflecting on the sudden and heartbreaking loss of the Gaudreau brothers last week.
On Aug. 29, Johnny Hockey Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died in a senseless accident. The two inseparable brothers were mowed down by a car while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey. They were buried Monday in Philadelphia.
The driver was impaired.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau will be remembered forever for their dedication to family and an unbreakable bond between them when family, friends and teammates gathered to say a tearful goodbye to the hockey-playing brothers at St. Mary Magdalen Church on Monday.
Johnny played the first nine seasons of his 11-year NHL career with the Flames before signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022. He was 31. Matthew, who played professionally for five seasons in the American Hockey League, ECHL and Sweden, was 29.
“Everything was always John and Matty,” Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny’ wife, said in her eulogy. “Matty was the best, the best brother to John. He was John’s biggest fan and John was his. Matty wanted everything for John, and all John wanted to do was share it with his brother and they did.
“Matty was the perfect brother. … I know John would not be able to live a day without his brother. He loved him so much.”
Johnny and Matthew were to serve as groomsmen at the wedding of their sister, Katie, on Aug. 30. That ceremony was postponed, and the family has been in mourning since then.
The Blue Jackets and Flames held candlelight vigils attended by thousands of fans in their respective cities.
Family members attended a memorial that was open to the public Friday at Gloucester Catholic, the New Jersey high school where Johnny was coached by his father Guy, and Matthew coached the past two seasons.
A private viewing for close relatives and friends was held in Pennsylvania, on Sunday preceding the mass of Christian burial Monday.
“This last week has felt like I’m trapped in a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew’s wife, said her eulogy. “I feel numb, angry, sad, blessed all at once. Some days the thought of this new reality is debilitating, but mostly I just miss Matt.”
St. Mary Magdalen’s was filled with family, friends and mourners from around the hockey world,
Meredith Gaudreau made a point of mentioning two players in particular — Sean Monahan, who played with Johnny with the Flames and was to be teammates with him again this season after signing with the Blue Jackets this offseason, and his former Boston College linemate Kevin Hayes, now with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“You’ve both known John longer than I have, which means you helped shape him into the man I fell in love with,” she said. “He looked up to you both on and off the ice. You are his brothers, which means you’re my brothers, too. Thank you for being there with me when you’re experiencing such a great loss, as well.”
The funeral, which was streamed live on the Blue Jackets and Flames websites, was overseen by father Tony Penna, the associate vice president and director of campus ministry at Boston College, where Johnny and Matt each played. During his homily, Penna asked the Gaudreau family to turn around and look at the rows of seats filled behind them.
“By the overwhelming presence and overwhelming number of people here today, they’re sending a message to you loud and clear that John and Matthew’s lives mattered, that they were noticed on this earth, they were loved on this earth and they were valued on this earth,” Penna said. “And this robust crowd wants you to know that they’re here to tell you, all of you, that they love you too and they have your back and they’re here to support you in our loss.
Hockey was a big part of Johnny’s and Matthew’s lives from a young age and part of the strong bond between them. Johnny played for three seasons at Boston College, where he earned his “Johnny Hockey” nickname and helped them win the NCAA title as a freshman in 2012.
When Calgary, which selected Johnny in the fourth round (No. 104) of the 2011 NHL Draft, tried to sign him after his sophomore season, he turned down the offer to stay in college for one more season and play alongside Matthew, who had followed him to the Hockey East school. Johnny won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top men’s player as a junior in 2014 before turning pro and scoring a goal in his NHL debut with the Flames. Johnny, whose family lives in South Jersey, played for Calgary for nine seasons before signing with Columbus in 2022.
“He did it to be closer to his family, plain and simple,” Meredith said. “He wanted his parents and his siblings to be able to see more games and spend more time with us and our baby on the way.”
Meredith and Johnny have a daughter, Noa, born on Sept. 30, 2022, and a son, Johnny, born on Feb. 22, 2024. She said during her eulogy that she learned a week before Johnny’s death that she is pregnant with the couple’s third child. Madeline is pregnant with her and Matthew’s first child, a son to be named Tripp.
“I can’t wait to see Johnny and Tripp grow up together and have the same bond as their dads had,” Madeline Gaudreau said. “Meredith, we’re in lots of trouble.”
Meredith and Madeline each recalled how Johnny and Matthew shared a childhood
Meredith and Madeline each recalled how Johnny and Matthew shared a childhood bedroom with twin beds that was emblematic of how close they were.
“They slept in the same room up until college, and neither of them ever wanted that to change,” Madeline said. “John took care of Matty, and Matty would take care of John. To know both of them was to truly love them. It was impossible not to fall in love with them. Meredith said it best: You do not hear one name without the other. They were so extremely proud of each other.”
Such love, such talent.
Snuffed out by an impaired driver.
Tragic.
