OLDSMAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while biking in Salem County, New Jersey Thursday night.
Around 8:30 p.m., police said two cyclists — later identified as the Gaudreau brothers — were hit by a driver on Pennsville Auburn Road and Stumpy Lane in Oldmans Township. The roads are in the middle of farmland, one lane in each direction, with very little light.
According to police, a man in a Jeep Cherokee tried to pass two cars ahead of him. The SUV in front of the offending driver moved to the middle of the road to give room to the Gaudreau brothers, but police said the Jeep driver went right and hit them from behind, killing them.
Police said the person behind the wheel stayed on the scene. He was identified as 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, of Woodstown.
According to a criminal complaint, Higgins allegedly admitted that he had five to six beers before the crash, and police said he failed a sobriety test.
Higgins was arrested and charged with two counts of death by auto. He is jailed at the Salem County Correctional Facility.
The Columbus Blue Jackets confirmed Johnny Gaudreau’s death in a statement Friday morning:
“The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy. Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife, Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, their family and friends on the sudden loss of Johnny and Matthew.
“Johnny played the game with great joy, which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice. He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played, from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him.
“Johnny embraced our community when he arrived two years ago, and Columbus welcomed him with open arms. We will miss him terribly and do everything that we can to support his family and each other through this tragedy.”
Johnny Gaudreau was a 31-year-old father of two and a native of Salem County. He was presumably in town for his sister’s wedding, which was scheduled to take place on Friday. Both brothers were groomsmen.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau played hockey at Gloucester Catholic High School — where 29-year-old Matthew became the head coach after playing in the minor league with the Reading Royals. They were also part of the Philadelphia Little Flyers growing up.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman added in a statement:
“[Johnny] Gaudreau often told the story of how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey and he carried that same youthful passion throughout his 11 NHL seasons. A skilled playmaker, Gaudreau participated in the NHL All-Star Game seven times where he was always a fan favorite, particularly while showcasing his talents in the various skills competitions for which he was so well suited.
“He will be remembered fondly in Calgary, where he played his first nine seasons with the Flames from 2013-14 to 2021-22, emerging as one of our League’s brightest young stars while compiling the franchise’s fifth-highest career points total. His loss also will be felt profoundly in Columbus, the city in which he chose to settle his family and where he was one of the respected, veteran leaders of a club building toward the playoffs. And both Johnny and Matthew will be mourned at Boston College, where they were teammates the year Johnny won the Hobey Baker Award in 2013-14, and at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, where both played and where Matthew was the head hockey coach following his own five-year pro playing career.”
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 11 professional seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus 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 favorite across North America.
“Just devastating news for all of us connected with the Gaudreau family,” Jerry York, who coached the Gaudreau brothers at Boston College, said in a phone interview with the AP. “Both Matty and Johnny were terrifically admired by all of us. Wonderful young guys, and they impressed a lot of us off the ice."
York raved about parents Guy and Jane and the family's dedication to their children and hockey. Johnny Gaudreau had been married to his wife, Meredith, since 2021, and they have two children under 2, Noa, who was born in September 2022, and Johnny, who was born in February.
Johnny Gaudreau, at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, was part of a generation of hockey players who thrived in an era of speed and skill that made being undersized less of a disadvantage. He scored 20-plus goals six times and was a 115-point player in 2021-22 as a first-time NHL All-Star when he had a career-best 40 goals and 75 assists.
A fourth-round pick of Calgary’s in 2011, Johnny Gaudreau helped Boston College win the NCAA championship in 2012 and in 2014 took home the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the country. As a professional, he was part of the NHL all-rookie team during his first season in the league and was third in voting for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2014-15.
Johnny Gaudreau was a point-a-game player with 642 points in 644 regular-season and playoff games since breaking into the league. In 2022, he left the Flames to sign a seven-year contract worth nearly $69 million with the Blue Jackets that put him and his young family in central Ohio, closer to his family in New Jersey.
In international play, Johnny Gaudreau owns the men’s world championship records by a U.S. player with 30 assists and 43 points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.