Gaudreau brothers mourned by hockey community, family at funeral

MEDIA, Pa. — John and Matthew Gaudreau were remembered as loving brothers and husbands who put family above hockey and everything else at their tearful funeral Monday, a week and a half after they died when they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey.

Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. John was 31 and Matthew 29.

“Everything was always John and Matty,” said Meredith, John’s wife, who revealed she was pregnant with the couple’s third child. “I know John would not have been able to live a day without his brother.”

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Buses brought players and others to St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church and a crowd of hundreds walked in for the service, including several children wearing Gaudreau No. 13 jerseys worn by the NHL player known to fans as “Johnny Hockey.” Columbus Blue Jackets teammate Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and longtime executive Brian Burke were among those in attendance.

“It just shows the true honor and respect that everybody gave them. Just can’t imagine what they’re going through,” said Caufield, who will wear No. 13 in honor of John Gaudreau. “Just the amount of people that are here today and yesterday, just anything we can do to help.”

Meredith Gaudreau singled out two of John’s closest friends, Sean Monahan and Kevin Hayes, in her eulogy of more than 30 minutes.

“You helped shape him into the man I fell in love with,” she said. “He looked up to you both on and off the ice. You were his brothers, which means you are my brothers, too.”

John, an All-Star for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew, who played collegiate hockey alongside his brother at Boston College a decade ago, died on the eve of their sister’s wedding.

The Rev. Tony Penna, the director of campus ministry at BC, asked those inside the church to look around at how many…

Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/41195155/gaudreau-brothers-mourned-hockey-community-family-friends-funeral

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Publish date : 2024-09-09 19:48:54

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