COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Friday marks one year since the death of Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.
The pair were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles near their hometown in New Jersey, the day before their sister’s wedding.
A year later, the focus is on how the brothers lived, and how their legacy lives on through their families and the fans who chanted their names for years.
The brothers were devoted family men, and at the time of their deaths, both of their wives were pregnant.
Johnny’s wife Meredith had just learned they were expecting a third child; she made that announcement during her eulogy at his funeral.
She gave birth to Carter Michael in April. He shares the same middle name as his late father.
Matthew’s wife Madeline was a few months along at the time of their passing. She gave birth to Tripp Matthew in December.
Meredith and Madeline started the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation. It will help hockey initiatives and support hockey families who’ve faced tragedy. It also will help other families affected by drunk driving.
On Aug. 15, Meredith and Madeline rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the foundation.
Gaudreau’s CBJ teammate Zach Werenski and NHL star Matthew Tkachuk asked for guests at their recent weddings to donate to the foundation in lieu of gifts.
The entire Gaudreau family also organized a 5K race in the brothers’ memory back in May. It raised more than $500,000.
More than 1,000 people participated in person in southern New Jersey, and 1,000 more took part virtually. The money raised is being used to build an adaptive playground at Archbishop Damiano School in New Jersey, where the boys’ mother Jane and sister Kristen work.
The sister who was supposed to get married last year, Katie Gaudreau, married her now-husband Devin Joyce last month. There were tributes to her brothers during the wedding. The brothers were supposed to be groomsmen, but their two best friends stood in for them.
Katie’s bouquet featured 21 standard roses and 13 spray rose blooms, a nod to the brothers’ jersey numbers. Her veil also had messages in the brothers’ handwriting.
The Blue Jackets paid tribute to their star winger all year long last season; the team almost made the postseason for the first time since 2020.
Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 now hangs from the rafters at Nationwide Arena. His jersey also hangs in a stall, whether at home or on the road. CBJ coach Dean Evason has said the jersey won’t leave the dressing room so long as he’s here.
The Gaudreau family led the team out before the Stadium Series game against Detroit at Ohio Stadium back in February, and Meredith would later announce the team’s first-round pick in the NHL Draft.
The boys’ father, Guy, also has been a frequent guest of the Jackets, Flyers and Team USA. He spent much of his life coaching hockey, and both teams have had him help at practice.
The man charged in the brothers’ deaths, Sean Higgins, is still in jail awaiting trial. He’s facing numerous charges, including reckless vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter.
Higgins has pleaded not guilty and turned down a plea deal that would’ve kept him locked up for 35 years. He could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted.