Johnny Gaudreau’s wife announces pregnancy at husband’s funeral
Meredith Gaudreau announced her pregnancy and her late-husband’s initial reaction to the news.
Approaching the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that took the lives of former Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, new details about the aftermaths of their deaths have added another grim layer of sadness.
According to The Athletic, the brothers’ parents, Guy and Jane Gaudreau, were hospitalized after learning their sons had been killed Aug. 29, 2024, when struck by a vehicle while biking near their parents’ home in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.
The driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee remains in jail awaiting the outcome of multiple criminal charges stemming from the crash, which occurred during an attempted pass on the right shoulder of a two-lane road.
According to The Athletic, both Gaudreau parents were admitted to a local hospital that night. Guy had elevated heart rate and blood pressure levels, while Jane wasn’t responding to people while in what family members described as a “catatonic-like” state.
Johnny Gaudreau’s dad, Guy, at Columbus Blue Jackets’ home opener practice
The Gaudreau brothers’ father, Guy, put on a Blue Jackets track suit and went through practice with them as an honorary coach.
They remained in the hospital for two days, in separate rooms, but nurses allowed Jane to climb into Guy’s bed each night to be together as they slept. The tragedy left the Gaudreau family gutted with grief along with the Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames — Johnny’s teams — and NHL fans around the world.
Widows Meredith Gaudreau (Johnny’s wife) and Madeline Gaudreau (Matthew’s wife) have since formed a charitable foundation to honor their husbands.
The Gaudreaus also hosted the Gaudreau Family 5K in May to raise funds for an adaptive playground at Archbishop Damiano School, which works with special needs students and employs both Jane Gaudreau and Kristen Gaudreau, the eldest of the family’s four siblings.
Dispatch reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social