NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, brother dead after being struck by vehicle while bicycling
CBC
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, who starred over eight seasons with the Calgary Flames before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets, was killed Thursday night when he was hit by a car while riding a bicycle in his home state of New Jersey. He was 31.
New Jersey State Police said Gaudreau was one of two cyclists struck and killed by a car in Salem County, N.J. Gaudreau's younger brother, Matthew, 29, was the other victim in the crash, police confirmed.
The Carneys Point, N.J., natives were in the area for their sister Katie's wedding scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.
According to police, the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road when a man driving in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the driver, Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto and jailed at the Salem County Correctional Facility.
Johnny Gaudreau leaves behind two young children and his wife Meredith.
The NHL released a statement from commissioner Gary Bettman about Gaudreau's passing, saying that "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."
Johnny Gaudreau, known as "Johnny Hockey," has played 11 professional seasons in the league and was going into his third with the 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 favourite across North America.
He was the face of the Flames, scoring 210 goals and adding 399 assists in 602 regular-season games over eight seasons.
Gaudreau left the Flames in free agency after the 2021-22 season, citing a desire to be closer to home, and signed a seven-year contract worth $68.25 million US deal with Columbus.
"Completely gutted. The world just lost one of the best," Flames forward Blake Coleman posted on the social media site X. "RIP Johnny."
In a 2022 article in The Players' Tribune, Gaudreau called leaving Calgary "the toughest decision I've ever had to make."
"I still thought about going back and trying to work on a seven-year deal to stay," he wrote. "It was all on the table for the entire process.
"Maybe that seems messy, but life is messy, you know?"
