Both NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother killed in a car accident in New Jersey on Thursday night. They were both stars in the National Hockey League.
The Columbus Blue Jackets player, who was 31 years old, and his brother Matthew, who is 29, were riding their bikes on a country road in Oldsman Township when they were hit by a car, according to the BBC.
The 43-year-old driver of the car, Sean Higgins, has been caught and charged NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother killed attempt with two counts of death by auto.
The event was called a “unimaginable tragedy” by Gaudreau’s team.
They said, “Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more importantly a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
Matthew, Gaudreau’s brother, was also a professional hockey player. He used to play for the Reading Royals in Pennsylvania.
Nick and Matthew’s uncle, Jim Gaudreau, thanked people for their love and support in a message on behalf of the family.
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother killed their uncle said “Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons and two brothers-in-law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates, two friends but truly two amazing humans,” said the man.
Wife Emotions of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau
Meredith, Gaudreau’s wife, wrote two posts on social media on Saturday that were all about her husband.
“Thank you for giving me the best years of my life.” “Even though I lost you, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours,” she wrote in one post that included a picture of the couple with their two young children.
In a different one, she called him “the best dad in the world.”
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his Brother killed in New Jersey
A local newspaper called the Columbus Dispatch said that the Gaudreau brothers were in New Jersey to attend their sister’s wedding in Philadelphia on Friday, where they were meant to be groomsmen.
Suspect
Police say Mr. Higgins hit the brothers from behind with his car while he was trying to get between two other cars on the road.
According to cops in New Jersey, Mr. Higgins is currently being held at the Salem County Correctional Facility on suspicion of driving while drunk.
He went to court for the first time on Friday and is still being held without bond until his detention hearing on September 5.
Journey and Love from Team
This forward for the Blue Jackets was known as “Johnny Hockey” and scored 243 goals in the NHL over the course of 11 years.
Johnny Gaudreau joined the Ohio team in 2022. He had previously played in Canada for the Calgary Flames.
These words from the Columbus Blue Jackets: “Gaudreau played the game with great joy, which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice.”
“He thrilled fans in a way that only Johnny Hockey could,” the team said.
An NHL official who used to work on Twitter, Brian Burke, said on X that Gaudreau brought “kindness that radiated out through the locker room every day.”
“There were not many hockey players in history who loved the game as much as he did,” he said.
The Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees, two major league baseball teams in the US, observed a moment of silence on Friday to remember Gaudreau and his brother.
Not only in the United States, but also in Canada, where Johnny Gaudreau played for almost ten years.
“Hockey fans in Calgary and across Canada will remember him as one of our own, He may have been from the US.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
