Tearful crowd gathered for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s funeral after drunk driving tragedy

Tearful crowd gathered for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s funeral after drunk driving tragedy

Tragic hockey brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were buried Monday the way they lived: side by side.

“God really picked the two best guys,” Matty’s widow, Madeline, said at the church in Media, Pennsylvania, where mourners included NHL players Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine of the Montreal Canadiens and league commissioner Gary Bettman.

“They were joined at the hips,” Madeline said before the caskets of the dead siblings, which stood side by side in the packed St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church.

Mourners outside St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania for the funeral of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on September 9, 2024. LP media
The hearse arrives at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. LP media
A bus full of mourners arrives at the church. LP media
The funeral service was well attended by mourners, including NHL players. LP media

“They slept in the same room until college, and neither of them wanted to change that,” she said.

“John took care of Matty, and Matty took care of John. It gives me comfort to know that they are still together forever, just like they always were.”

She then turned to John’s widow, Meredith.

“There is one person in this world who knows what I feel, and that is you,” she said. “And for that I apologize.”

The priest at the funeral noted that the size of the crowd showed how much the brothers “were loved on this earth.” AP Photo/Matt Rourke
The two coffins are carried into the church by pallbearers at the beginning of the mass. LP media

In an equally moving eulogy, Meredith Gaudreau recalled her courtship with the NHL star — and the now tragic loss of him.

“He’s different, and he’s special, and this whole family is,” she sobbed. “We were best friends. He’s my soulmate.”

The size of the crowd was proof “that the lives of John and Matthew mattered,” said the chief priest who celebrated the Mass.

The interior of St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church during the funeral. NHL
The coffins of the Gaudreau brothers enter the church. NHL

“That they were noticed on this Earth. That they were loved on this Earth. That they were appreciated on this Earth.

“We all just have a visa on this earth,” he said. “We don’t have a passport. We’re only here for a short time. Sometimes too short. Something was taken from us today — two truly great young men … who had a future to live, who had goals and accomplishments yet to be accomplished.”

The funeral took place after a private gathering on Sunday.

The priest told those gathered that they had been “robbed” of “two truly wonderful young men.” NHL

John, a 31-year-old All-Star for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, better known as “Johnny Hockey,” and Matthew, 29, who played hockey with his brother at Boston College, were killed by a suspected drunk driver on Aug. 29 while they were riding their bikes the night before their sister’s wedding.

Madeline Gaudreau said during her eulogy: “I urge everyone not to drink and drive.

“Please don’t leave any other family in this torture.”

The brothers were mourned across the sports world, including in Columbus, Ohio, where Johnny signed a free agent contract with the small-market Blue Jackets in 2022 over more lucrative offers from other teams, including New Jersey.

The program for the funeral mass for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. LP media
Family photos of the Gaudreaus in the funeral program. LP media
A message from the Gaudreau family to those attending the funeral. LP media

The Gaudreau brothers were riding their bicycles on a road in Oldmans Township around 8 p.m. when they were struck by an SUV, New Jersey State Police said.

They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and two counts of vehicular homicide. He faces a hearing on Sept. 13.

Johnny Gardreau was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Getty Images
The brothers were supposed to attend their sister Katie’s wedding, but were murdered the night before. The wedding was postponed. Instagram / @kgaudreau13
Sean Higgins, 43, is accused of driving under the influence in the Aug. 29 horror scene that left the hockey brothers dead. New Jersey State Police

Since their deaths, the brothers have been celebrated on various social media.

Katie Gaudreau, the younger sister who was due to marry the day after the brothers’ murder, posted photos of her family in happier times on social media.