The widow of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau paid tribute to him in a pair of social media posts Saturday, calling him her "forever" and praising him as the "best dad" to their young children.
Meredith Gaudreau also shared family photos of her late husband celebrating his 31st birthday earlier in August with her, daughter Noa and son Johnny.
"Thank you for the best years of my life. Despite losing you, I am still the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours," she wrote in an Instagram post. "I love you so so much. You were perfect. Some days it felt too good to be true. I love every single thing about you. You are my forever and I can't wait to be with you again. I love you so much forever and ever."
Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed Thursday night in New Jersey when they were struck by an alleged drunken driver while riding bicycles not far from their family home. The Gaudreau family had gathered in Salem County to attend the wedding of the men's sister, Katie, which had been scheduled for Friday. The event was canceled.
Meredith and Johnny Gaudreau married Sept. 4, 2021. Noa was born the following September and Johnny on Feb. 22.
"The absolute best dad in the world. So caring and loving," she captioned photos of Gaudreau and the children. "The best partner to go through parenthood with. John never missed a single appointment. Was the best at putting the baby to sleep and the Apple of Noa's eye. I love how much she looks like him. We are going to make you proud. We love you so so so much daddy."
Matthew Gaudreau, 29, was the hockey coach at the men's high school alma mater, Gloucester Catholic in New Jersey, and he also was an expectant father. His wife, Madeline, is expecting their first child in December. A GoFundMe page set up to benefit her and the child, who will be named Tripp, had raised more than $300,000 as of Saturday afternoon.
Social media posts honoring the Gaudreaus poured in from all over the sports world, including from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and Jalen Hurts, quarterback of the Gaudreaus' favorite NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
— Wayne Gretzky (@WayneGretzky) August 31, 2024
I'm deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Johnny & Matthew Gaudreau. Johnny was a dedicated hockey player, Birds fan & cherished member of the Eagles faithful. I want to send my heartfelt condolences to the entire Gaudreau family & those impacted by this loss!#FlyJohnnyFly 🙏🏾
— Jalen Hurts (@JalenHurts) August 30, 2024
According to police, the brothers were riding bikes along county Route 551 in Oldmans Township on Thursday night when they were hit by a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by 43-year-old Sean Higgins of Woodstown, New Jersey. The crash occurred as the driver tried to pass a slower vehicle on the right and struck the Gaudreaus in the rear, police said.
According to a police affidavit, Higgins reportedly told the state trooper who arrived at the scene that he drank "five to six beers" before the crash. Per the report, Higgins failed a field sobriety test.
Higgins was taken to the Salem County Correctional Facility and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide. At a court appearance via video Friday afternoon, he was ordered to be held without bond, pending a detention hearing Thursday.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.