Widow of Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau He shared a touching tribute. On Saturday morning, people took to social media to send messages to the late hockey player.
“Thank you for the best years of my life,” Meredith Gaudreau wrote on Instagram, alongside a carousel of photos of her and Gaudreau over the years.
“Despite losing you, I am still the luckiest girl in the world to have been your daughter. I love you so much,” the grieving wife added.
“You were perfect and some days were incredible. I love everything about you. You are my forever. I can't wait to be with you again. I love you forever.”
Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were riding their bicycles on County Road 51 in Old Mans Township, New Jersey, on Thursday evening when they were struck from behind by a vehicle suspected to be drunk driving.
The brothers were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the criminal complaint.
The Gaudreau couple were killed less than 24 hours before they were scheduled to serve as groomsmen at the Friday afternoon wedding of his sister, Katie, to ice hockey player Devin Joyce.
A ceremony in the city of Gloucester was cancelled in light of the tragedy.
Johnny Gaudreau is survived by his wife Meredith, his daughter Noah, who is almost 2 years old, and his 6-month-old son Johnny.
Meredith Gaudreau also shared a tribute post featuring photos of the seven-time NHL All-Star and their young children.
“The most amazing dad in the world. So caring and loving. The best partner to raise a child with,” she wrote.
“John never missed an appointment, he was great at getting babies to sleep and he was Noah's favorite. I love how Noah is so like John. We're going to make you proud, daddy. We love you so much, daddy.”
Matthew Gaudreau is survived by his wife, Madeline, who is pregnant with the couple's first child.
A GoFundMe for Madeline Gaudreau and “Baby Trip” quickly surpassed its $30,000 goal, raising more than $260,000 as of Saturday morning.
The Gaudreau family, which includes the brothers' parents and two sisters, released a joint statement on Friday thanking the public for the overwhelming support.
“Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, a brother-in-law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates and two friends. Two truly amazing human beings,” family spokesman Jim Gaudreau said in a statement to news station WBZ-TV.
“We want everyone to know that we receive your messages of love and support. We thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. We ask for continued respect and privacy during this very difficult time of grief.”
The talented brothers were top hockey players from southern New Jersey and both played at Boston University.
Johnny Gaudreau was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2014 and signed with the Blue Jackets in 2022.
Mathieu briefly signed with the New York Islanders' minor league affiliate. He last played professionally in 2021.
