COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — August 13 would have been the 32nd birthday of Johnny Gaudreau, the former Columbus Blue Jacket’s forward who was tragically killed last summer while biking with his brother Matthew.
The Jackets shared a tribute to Johnny on social media Wednesday morning.
The widows of the Gaudreau brothers are speaking out as we near the first anniversary of the brothers’ deaths. They appeared in an interview on Good Day America Wednesday morning.
“He kissed all of us goodbye — just in the driveway at his parents’ house. And that was the last time I saw him,” Johnny’s wife Meredith told ABC News in the interview.
“There’s no healing when you didn’t get a goodbye,” Matthew Gaudreau’s wife, Madeline Gaudreau, said.
The driver involved in the accident, Sean Higgins, has pleaded not guilty to six charges related to the crash. In April, a judge denied his request to have the indictment thrown out.
Johnny and his wife, Meredith, had two kids when he passed. Meredith announced she was pregnant during the funeral with their third child.
Madeline was pregnant with her and Matthew’s child, Tripp, when the accident happened.
Meredith and Madeline talked about the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation during the interview. The foundation’s website says it will help youth hockey initiatives, support families that have faced tragedy, and help other families that have been affected by drunk driving.
“We kind of spent the whole year really trying to take our time, do things right and we’ve already been able to accept a lot of donations,” Meredith told NHL.com on Monday. “A lot of people have really spread the word, so we wanted to make sure we took our time.”
You can support the foundation here.