COLUMBUS, Ohio — NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed Thursday night when they were hit by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bicycle in their home state of New Jersey, police said.
The 31-year-old Gaudreau and his younger brother, Matthew, 29, are Carneys Point, New Jersey, natives and were in the area for their sister Katie's wedding scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.
What happened?
New Jersey State police said the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind. They were pronounced dead on the scene.
Police said the driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. He was jailed at the Salem County Correctional Facility.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press, Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the accident and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving. He failed a field sobriety test. His blood alcohol level was not immediately available.
Who is "Johnny Hockey?"
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 11 professional seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played his first nine with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
“Just devastating news for all of us connected with the Gaudreau family,” Jerry York, who coached the Gaudreau brothers at Boston College, said in a phone interview with the AP. “Both Matty and Johnny were terrifically admired by all of us. Wonderful young guys, and they impressed a lot of us off the ice."
York raved about parents Guy and Jane and the family's dedication to their children and hockey. Gaudreau had been married to his wife, Meredith, since 2021, and they have two children under 2, Noa, who was born in September 2022, and Johnny, who was born in February.
The Blue Jackets said Gaudreau “was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend.”
“Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice. He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played,” the team said in a statement.
Gaudreau, at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, was part of a generation of hockey players who thrived in an era of speed and skill that made being undersized less of a disadvantage. He scored 20-plus goals six times and was a 115-point player in 2021-22 as a first-time NHL All-Star when he had a career-best 40 goals and 75 assists.
“While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said: “Johnny was a beloved teammate and friend in both Calgary and Columbus, and he was a joy to watch during his 10 years and 763 games in the NHL. ... The players and staff of the NHLPA are devastated by these terrible losses.”
A fourth-round pick of Calgary’s in 2011, Gaudreau helped Boston College win the NCAA championship in 2012 and in 2014 took home the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the country.
As a professional, Gaudreau was part of the NHL all-rookie team during his first season in the league and was third in voting for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2014-15.
Gaudreau was a point-a-game player with 642 points in 644 regular-season and playoff games since breaking into the league. In 2022, he left the Flames to sign a seven-year contract worth nearly $69 million with the Blue Jackets that put him and his young family in central Ohio, closer to his family in New Jersey.
Social media was full of an outpouring of messages about Gaudreau, from USA Hockey to the Flames and beyond the sport itself.
Longtime executive Brian Burke, who had Gaudreau in Calgary and with the U.S. national team, said it could not be overstated just what a joy it was to have him around.
“There are few players in hockey history who matched his passion and love for the game of hockey." Burke said. "His talent on the ice was enhanced, not diminished, by the fact that he was having fun out there.”
Former Flames teammate Blake Coleman posted that he was “completely gutted. The world just lost one of the best.” Retired goaltender Eddie Lack called Gaudreau one of his favorite teammates.
“Always happy, always spreading positivity around him," Lack said. "Rest in Peace my friend and prayers for your wonderful family."
NBA superstar LeBron James, who is from Akron, Ohio, said he instantly got sad after seeing the news.
“My thoughts and prayers goes out to the Gaudreau family,” James said. “May Johnny and Matthew fly high, guide/guard and bless their family/s from the heavens above.”
In international play, Gaudreau owns the men’s world championship records by a U.S. player with 30 assists and 43 points.
Gaudreau’s death is the latest off-ice tragedy to strike the organization in the past few years. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 when he was struck in the chest by a firework while attending the wedding of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace’s daughter in Michigan.
The team is now left to deal with another unexpected loss three weeks before training camps around the league are set to open.
“We will miss him terribly and do everything that we can to support his family and each other through this tragedy,” the Blue Jackets said. "At this time, we ask for prayers for the Gaudreau family and that their privacy be respected as they grieve.”