Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew lose their lives

The shocking news broke Friday morning: Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were struck by a vehicle while riding their bikes in New Jersey on Thursday night.

The two brothers were driving together in Oldmans, near their hometown of Salem, at the time of the tragedy, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

The driver of the vehicle, Sean M. Higgins, is suspected of having been under the influence of alcohol, a local NBC news outlet reported. He allegedly tried to pass a car on the right, which had moved to the middle of the road to safely pass the two cyclists. He mowed down the Gaudreau brothers, who were fatally injured.

According to the Associated Press, Higgins was arrested and faces two counts of death by automobile as well as reckless driving, possession of an open container and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. He is being held at the Salem County Correctional Facility awaiting his pretrial hearing, which is scheduled for September 5.

Higgins allegedly told police he had five or six beers before getting behind the wheel and was drinking more while driving, according to the Associated Press, which obtained the criminal complaint. The 43-year-old reportedly failed a sobriety test at the scene.

Johnny, a father of two young children, and Matthew Gaudreau were to be groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding on Friday.

“We want everyone to know that we receive your messages of love and support and appreciate your thoughts and prayers,” family member Jim Gaudreau said in a statement. “We ask for your continued respect and privacy during this very difficult time of grieving.”

This is the second time in three years that the Blue Jackets have had to mourn the loss of one of their players. In July 2021, goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks tragically lost his life in a fireworks accident.

“Johnny was not only a great hockey player, he was more importantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend,” the organization said.

The impact of Gaudreau, who joined the Jackets in 2022, was “profound,” it wrote, “but it pales in comparison to the indelible impression he left on all who knew him.”

Before signing with the Blue Jackets, Gaudreau had spent the first nine seasons of his career with the team that drafted him, the Calgary Flames. The No. 13 finished his nearly ten-year Canadian adventure ranked fifth in club history.

Gaudreau played 763 games in the National Hockey League, collecting 243 goals and 743 points. In 2017, he won the Lady Byng Trophy, awarded each year to the player considered to have the best sportsmanship while maintaining remarkable performances.

His loss, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said, will be “deeply felt in Columbus, the city where he chose to make his family home and where he was a respected veteran of a club building toward the playoffs.”

“Gaudreau often spoke about how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey. He carried that same youthful passion throughout his 11 seasons in the NHL,” Bettman concluded.

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau played together at Boston College during the 2013-14 season, the year Johnny won the Hobey Baker Trophy, awarded to the NCAA’s most valuable player.

“I am in shock”

The new Laval Rocket head coach, Pascal Vincent, spent the last three seasons with the Blue Jackets organization. He was the assistant coach, then the head coach for one campaign, at the end of which he was fired.

In a statement released on the Canadiens’ networks, Vincent said he was “shocked” by this “speechless tragedy.” Johnny Gaudreau, he said, “was a humble young man who had an extraordinary talent, but he did not seek to be in the spotlight.”

“Johnny, you were always a very good person to all those who had the chance to meet you. I consider myself lucky to have known you so closely. I will forever keep a memory of your smile and your contagious good humor. Johnny, rest in peace,” concluded Vincent.

Another Quebec coach also shared his grief on social media; Bob Hartley was Gaudreau’s first head coach when he arrived in the NHL in 2014.

“The unthinkable has happened. […] “Besides being a hockey player, Johnny was an extraordinary human being. He was always giving back to his sport. Johnny came to my hockey school a few times. He loved helping kids,” Hartley wrote. He added a link to a video of him commenting on Gaudreau’s exploits at the time.

The sporting world shaken

Clearly, the sad news sent shockwaves through the sports world on Friday. NHL fans, teams and players, as well as other players in the world of professional sports, reacted in large numbers on social networks.

“It is with great sadness that we mourn the tragic passing of our friend Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau,” the Flames wrote. “We are heartbroken by this devastating loss. Johnny was and always will be a member of the Flames family and loved by all Calgarians.”

The Canadiens joined the other teams in the league in offering their condolences to the Gaudreau brothers’ loved ones. “Today, as the hockey world has lost two exceptional ambassadors and two even greater human beings, our thoughts are with you in this heartbreaking and difficult time, while all across the NHL mourn the sudden departure of Johnny and Matthew.”

Forward Patrik Laine, recently acquired by the Canadiens, shared the Blue Jackets’ post on his Instagram page. “Rest in peace, my brother,” wrote the man who worked alongside Gaudreau in Columbus.

Laine’s new teammate with the Habs, Cole Caufield, shared in his story on Instagram a photo of Gaudreau and him on the ice rink. [Tu seras] “still my hero,” he wrote.

Former Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said he was “deeply saddened” by the news. “RIP Johnny and Matthew, fine young men with a beautiful family that seemed so close knit… gone far too soon. My condolences to the Gaudreau family and strength in their grief.”

Like Kekäläinen, former Flames GM Brad Treliving said he was “devastated” by the news. “John was a truly special player, dazzling on the ice with his incredible talent, but what made him truly special was the person he was off the ice. His bright smile and infectious personality were matched only by his love for his family, friends and loved ones. He brought joy to all those around him and to those who never knew him but marveled at his excellence on the ice.”

“I don’t know why I’m writing this, I’m shaking, but Johnny was one of my favorite teammates I ever played with,” said Eddie Lack, a former goalie who played one season in Calgary. “He was always happy and spread positivity. Rest in peace my friend, praying for your beautiful family.”

NBA star LeBron James, a native of Ohio, also expressed his grief. “This makes no sense! I was immediately depressed and sad after reading the story. My thoughts and prayers are with the Gaudreau family! May Johnny and Matthew fly high, guide, protect and bless their families from the heavens.”

The Philadelphia Flyers also issued a statement to the media, saying the Gaudreau brothers were “deeply rooted in the Philadelphia and New Jersey community, where they spent their entire childhoods on the ice.” Matthew played for the Flyers’ ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, in 2019-20 before becoming the coach of his high school team, Gloucester Catholic.

“Throughout their success in the hockey world, both have continued to give back to our community,” the Flyers organization wrote. “Johnny and Matthew, along with the entire Gaudreau family, have made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people in the Philadelphia area as they learn and grow in their love of the game of hockey.”