Grieving hockey fans erected a memorial Saturday in the corner of New Jersey where a suspected drunk driver took the lives of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew.
A cross made from old hockey sticks inscribed with the brothers' names and their respective player jersey numbers was planted in the ground along County Road 551 in Oldmans Township, where the two were cycling together Thursday evening.
Several more sticks were laid out on the lawn among dozens of bouquets of flowers, balloons and a sign promising the brothers would be “forever in our hearts.”
The memorial also included tributes to each of Gaudreau's hockey careers, including two bottles of Gatorade in honour of Johnny Gaudreau's tradition of sharing a sports drink with each of his former Calgary Flames teammates after scoring a goal.
One man who left flowers told The Post that the offerings came from “the entire hockey community across the country.”
They left bouquets of flowers, hockey sticks and even jerseys in front of the surviving family members' homes, where they were meant to celebrate their brother's wedding, not mourn his death.
“The sad thing is this could have been prevented. If he had been drinking, why didn't he take an Uber?” one visitor, who declined to give his name, said of the suspected drunk driver.
Suchat Pederson/New York Post
Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were riding their bikes in their hometown in New Jersey when they were struck and killed by a driver who told state troopers he had had “five or six beers” before the accident.
The driver, Shawn Higgins, reportedly tried to pass an SUV that had moved to the middle of the road to give the brothers enough space just after 8 p.m.
The U.S. Army major was attempting to pass the SUV on the right and struck the Gaudreauxs from behind. The county road is a rural road with crops on both sides and no shoulders or street lights.
The tragedy occurred just one day before the Gaudreau brothers were scheduled to serve as groomsmen at a wedding. Sister Katie's wedding It was dedicated to hockey player Devin Joyce of Gloucester City, New Jersey. The family had been holding a wedding rehearsal just hours before the tragedy struck.
Johnny, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.
Matthew's wife is pregnant and their first child is due in December.
Higgins, who appeared to sigh with exasperation in court after learning he would be remanded in custody until next week, is charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle.
