Meredith Gaudreau posted to social media remembering her husband, NHL forward Johnny Gaudreau, who died Thursday night with his brother, Matthew.
Meredith Gaudreau posted to Instagram Saturday morning remembering her husband, Johnny Gaudreau, an 11-season NHL forward who died Thursday night.
Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed riding bicycles when a driver struck them with his Jeep after 8 p.m. ET in Oldmans Township, N.J. They were scheduled to be groomsmen on Friday at the wedding of their sister, Katie. Johnny Gaudreau was 31, and Matthew Gaudreau was 29.
CBS Philadelphia reported the driver, 43-year-old Sean Higgins, admitted to police about consuming alcoholic beverages before and while driving, and he was charged with two counts of death by auto.
Meredith Gaudreau met Johnny Gaudreau in the summer of 2018 when she was a natal ICU nurse in Philadelphia and he lived next door in his off-season residence in Avalon, N.J. Two years later, Johnny Gaudreau proposed, and they married in Philadelphia in 2021.
"Thank you for the best years of my life," Meredith Gaudreau wrote on Instagram. "Despite losing you, I am the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours. I love you so much. You were perfect. Some days it felt 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."
Not long after Johnny Gaudreau signed a seven-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets in July 2022, he and Meredith welcomed their first child that September, a daughter named Noa Gaudreau.
In February 2024, they welcomed their second child, a son named Johnny Edward Gaudreau.
On social media, Meredith Gaudreau also remembered Johnny as a father.
"The absolute best dad in the world," she said. "So caring and loving. The best partner to go through parenthood with. John never missed a single appointment. Was the best at putting the baby to sleep and the Apple of Noa's eye. I love how much she looks like him.
"We are going to make you proud. We love you so so so much daddy."
The first photos on each post show a cake with the No. 31, celebrating Johnny Gaudreau's 31st birthday on Aug. 13.
Madeline Gaudreau also shared a video from the Instagram account HFTV, which showed Johnny Gaudreau in 2022 responding to a question about how he'd like to be remembered in Calgary if he left the Flames. He played parts of nine seasons for Calgary after being drafted in the fourth round in 2011.
"When my time does end here, I hope people remember me as a good person off the ice, a good teammate and just a good person," Gaudreau told reporters at the time. "People can think what I did on the ice, but for me personally, I just want people to know how grateful I am for them welcoming me here and hopefully it’s a few more years here and they can get stuck with me."
The video also featured Matthew Gaudreau talking about being brothers with Johnny.
"All of our friends we have are together," Matthew Gaudreau said in an undated voice clip. "Everything we do is together. With our wives and everything now, we do everything together still."
On Friday, the uncle of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, Jim Gaudreau, released a statement as well.
"Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, two brothers, two sons and brothers in law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates, two friends but truly two amazing humans," Gaudreau wrote.
"We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support and we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers."