One of Johnny Gaudreau's former NHL and World Championship teammates shared his favorite memories of the late all-star on what would have been his 32nd birthday. Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed by an alleged drunk driver while bicycling on a New Jersey road on Aug. 29, 2024, one day before what was supposed to be their sister's wedding. Johnny was 31 and heading into his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets]. Matthew was 29 and coaching youth hockey at the high school the brothers attended, Gloucester Catholic High. The suspected driver, Sean Higgins, faces charges of aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, evidence tampering and leaving the scene of an accident. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/latest-news/gaudreau-brothers-sean-higgins-trial-update]. Drew Shore was in the Calgary Flames [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/community/players/remembering-johnny-gaudreau-on-his-birthday]' organization for two seasons as Gaudreau kicked off his NHL career. "I spent a lot of time with him, and he was a guy who, any room he walked into, people wanted to be around," Shore said on The Big Show on Wednesday, Aug. 13. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/podcast/the-hockey-news-big-show-who-s-the-nhl-s-best-pest] "Whether that was a hockey locker room, at dinner, you wanted to sit next to Johnny, just because he was kind of a bigger than life personality." Before their brief time together on the Flames, Gaudreau and Shore were on Team USA at the 2014 World Championship. "Johnny Gaudreau played one game in the NHL after his senior season at Boston College and then came to Minsk, Belarus, for the World Championships," Shore said. "For a lot of guys, especially college players, that's a big step up in terms of what they're used to. "But I've told this story before, and I'll never forget this: most guys were warming up really seriously and very nervous for the game, and here's a kid who rolled just out of college, he definitely I don't think had taken a shower in the morning and played soccer in flip flops and I don't even think taped his stick before the game, and then went on the ice on an Olympic sheet and was basically the best player in the game by a mile." Gaudreau not only led the Americans with a goal and two assists in the 6-1 win over Belarus, but he led their forwards in ice time. That team had Tyler Johnson, who put up 50 points during the NHL season, Tommy Wingels (38), captain Justin Abdelkader (28) and Brock Nelson (26). Gaudreau ended up leading Team USA's forwards in scoring, with 10 points in eight games before joining the Flames full-time the following season. "It was crazy how much Calgary as a city kind of rallied behind him as a player," Shore said. "At that time, when he made it in the NHL, there weren't a lot of guys at his size, so he was an instant guy that every kid looked up to." Mourners gathered in Columbus for a candlelight vigil to remember Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on Sept. 4, 2024. (Adam Cairns-Imagn Images via Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Network) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/307fa601-7a03-425b-8d2e-ee02c8f81062.jpeg] Mourners gathered in Columbus for a candlelight vigil to remember Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on Sept. 4, 2024. (Adam Cairns-Imagn Images via Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Network) MEREDITH, MADELINE GAUDREAU DISCUSS NEWLY LAUNCHED JOHN AND MATTHEW GAUDREAU FOUNDATION Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau appeared on ABC's Good Morning America [https://abcnews.go.com/US/gaudreau-brothers-widows-speak-1-year-after-deadly/story?id=124540139] on Wednesday to discuss the time that has passed since their husbands' deaths and the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation, which launched in March. "There's no healing when you didn't get a goodbye," said Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew's wife. Added Meredith Gaudreau: "Half of me, the best part of me, died that day, too. So I'm just trying to be double now for my kids even though I'm half of who I was." The foundation [https://www.johnandmatty.org/] Meredith and Madeline founded supports youth hockey initiatives and hockey families that have faced tragedy and have been affected by drunk driving. "It was never lost on John and Matty about how expensive it is to maintain hockey as a hobby, especially, you have to start so young," Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny Gaudreau's wife, told ABC's Will Reeve. Madeline Gaudreau gave birth to her and Matthew's son, Tripp, four months after the brothers died. "Tripp's now hitting milestones, so that's heartbreaking because Matt was super excited to be a dad," Madeline Gaudreau said. She was also asked if there was anything she wanted to say to Matthew but hadn't yet. " 'Thank you for making me a mom,' " she said. "Because for a long time, Matt has wanted kids." Meredith Gaudreau gave birth to her and Johnny's third child, Carter, in April. "Carter looks exactly like him, and he's the happiest four-month-old I've ever seen," Meredith Gaudreau said. "He just doesn't stop smiling, and I think it's really special, because, you know, he's shining through in Carter, I think, a lot. Can't imagine how happy John would be if he was here."
