NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother died Thursday night after they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding their bicycles in New Jersey, police confirmed.
Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, grew up in Carneys Point, New Jersey. They were on site for their sister Katie’s wedding on Friday in Philadelphia, where they were both scheduled to be groomsmen.
New Jersey State Police said Friday that the brothers were riding down a road when a man going in the same direction tried to overtake two other vehicles and struck them from behind, causing fatal injuries.
Police said the driver, Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being intoxicated and has been charged with two counts of death by vehicle and is under arrest in Salem County.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 11 seasons in the NHL and is about to begin his third campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He spent his first nine seasons with the Calgary Flames, where he became one of the league’s best players, as well as one of its most beloved.
“Devastating news for all of us connected to the Gaudreau family,” Jerry York, who coached the brothers at Boston College, told The Associated Press by phone. “Both Matty and Johnny were hugely admired by all of us. Incredible young men and they made an impact on the ice.”
The Blue Jackets will consider it an unimaginable tragedy.
“Johnny was not only an incredible hockey player, but more notably a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend,” the team said in a statement. “Johnny played with a great joy that everyone felt when they were on the ice with him. He brought a true love of hockey wherever he played.”
Gaudreau was part of a generation of players who thrived in an era where speed and skill meant being undersized was no longer a disadvantage.
He scored at least 20 goals six times and was an All-Star, 115-point player in the 2021-22 season with 40 goals and 75 assists.
