The Gaudro family, blue jackets are expected to last forever John & Matthew’s lasting legacy – Hockey writer – Columbus Blue Jacket
A year later, it still has no real feeling.
It was on August 29, 2024 that the foundation of the hockey world was shocked to the core. That day, the hockey world lost two of its brightest lights.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau tragically killed while riding a drunk driver on their bike. They were home in New Jersey and the next day they became part of their sister’s wedding.
Sean Higgins, the suspected drunk driver, was arrested for assaulting the brothers while sitting behind the steering wheel of Jeep Grand Cherokee. He did not perform sobriety tests on site. He is still in jail while waiting for the trail. The next hearing is scheduled to take place on September 18.
Meanwhile, the Gaudreau family and the entire hockey world have to master it somehow with what happened. shock. anger. Extreme sadness. These are just some of the emotions that come across when trying to process everything.
As the news spreads around the world, tributes began to pour in. It’s clear how universal love Johnny and Matthew are. They are family, first and foremost, the love they share with everyone who knows them best.
While there is no script on how to handle this situation, the Gaudro family, the blue jacket and the rest of the hockey world become clear. They will all do their best to honor the legacy of John and Matthew.
A year later, everyone fulfilled their promise to keep these legacies alive. These promises are not only preserved throughout the year, but also for generations indefinitely.
Need to define immeasurable power? Just look at what the Gaudreau family, blue jackets and hockey world did last year to make sure the light of John and Matthew continues to shine for everyone to see.
Commitment to retain
At the funeral, Rev. Tony Penna made a statement on the real impact of John and Matthew. All anyone has to do is look around the church and look at dozens of people present.
Pena said at the funeral: “Because of the overwhelming presence and overwhelming people here today, they have a message to you that clearly shows that the lives of John and Matthew are important, they are noticed on Earth and they are loved by people on Earth.”
Those attending the funeral that day included NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, current Canadian Cole Caufield of Montreal, the entire Columbus Blue Jackets team as well as the front blue jacket Patrik Laine and several players and other players in the league.
Then, the profound remarks of Meredith Gaudreau’s father Ed Morris talk about what made John and Matthew happy.
“John and Marty If the world learn how they live, we will all improve our lives.” From there, work begins to keep their legacy alive.
In October, the Gaudero family shared their vision of securing John and Matthew’s legacy.
“They did a great job in their short lives,” said Jane Gaudreau, mother of John and Matthew.
“They did a great job in such a short time, and I just think we need to take advantage of that and keep moving forward. That’s what they want. The goal is to make my brothers do as much good as possible,” said Katie Gaudreau, the sister of John and Matthew.
It is safe to say that the family kept their promise and capitalized. They ensured that John and Matthew’s influence would be seen in the coming years.
This influence is first seen in tributes around the world. Whether in Calgary or Columbus, at Holidell Rink or at Gloucester Catholic High School, Boston College and elsewhere, fans have participated in massive support to show support for the Gaudro family.
Then the family went to work to commemorate the brothers. It began with several local fundraising activities to help both schools near the Gloucester Catholic and Archbishop Damiano. Recall that Johnny donated $10,000 to Archbishop Damiano after a hat-trick in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game.
Archbishop Damiano is a private school for students with disabilities. The site requires a new adaptive playground, which will require hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund. The Gaudro family chose to honor the brothers’ legacy by raising funds for this playground.
Thanks to the recent 5K walk/run at the Gaudreau family in Washington Lake Park, more than $500,000 has been raised to help fund the playground’s construction. Coupled with other donations from John and Matthew’s memories, enough funds were raised to meet the demand. It is expected to be groundbreaking temporarily starting in October this year.
While Jane and Kristen are at the center of this initiative, Meredith and Madeline are putting important work into another project (the John and Matthew Gaudro Foundation).
The foundation was launched in March to honor John and Marty’s enduring legacy by supporting projects and initiatives that align with the values and passions they advocate.” Through donations and merchandise sales, the funds raised will be used for specific projects such as expanding youth hockey opportunities to support hockey families who have been associated with tragedy and assist families affected by drunk driving.
The foundation was officially established on August 13, the day when Johnny was 32 years old. Meredith and Madeline appeared in the United States to announce official launches.
Anyone can help support the mission of the John and Matthew Gaudro Foundation by donating or purchasing Brother-inspired merchandise. Many families will be positively affected as they will receive much-needed support.
Other promises
A lot has been done to keep the brothers legacy. The Gaudreau family will continue to ensure that its impact will help turn the tragedy into a positive contribution.
Meredith and Madeline each gave birth to a son last year. Carter Michael Gaudreau was born in April, when Tripp Matthew was born in December. The family said that children will know their father’s influence when they grow up.
The Columbus Blue Jacket also did a lot to keep the brothers’ legacy. It’s a small part of what they did all last season.
- The player in the blue jacket wore a “13” patch on his jersey and wore a blue sticker on his helmet that showed “Gaudreau” and the pigeons were between the numbers 13 and 21.
- The “13” banner was raised on the sub of the National Arena with Johnny’s name on it.
- A video montage was played on the main bottle opener, which included a family walking on the blue carpet.
- The home opening match began with the “missing crowd”. Johnny was left empty on the left wing, and when he observed silence, the clock scored 13 seconds.
- A memorial was set up nationwide for fans to see how Johnny and Matthew influenced the world of hockey.
- In their locker room, Johnny left an empty stall where his 13 jerseys hang. Players usually conduct post-match interviews near the booth.
- The team made sure Johnny was traveling on the road, too, with his jersey highlighted at a booth in the road locker room.
- Blue Jackets players kept talking about the impact of Johnny and Matthew. They shared stories and kept asking what Johnny would do?
- Several road cities offer a moment before the race to remember the brothers. Calgary (Johnny’s first NHL team) and Philadelphia (Gaudero’s local team) have some expansions.
- Blue jackets, flyers and others invited Guy Gaudreau to practice and morning skates with them.
- The Blue Jacket invites Jane Gaudreau to take a mother’s trip to Detroit. Head coach Dean Evason escorted her to the Ice Center to take photos of the team.
- The Gaudreau family leads the blue jackets to Ohio Stadium during the stadium series.
- Meredith Gaudreau showed Sean Monahan the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. She also announced Blue Jackets’ first-round pick at the 2025 NHL draft. This is a moment Jackson Smith will never forget.
The Blue Jacket will continue to honor the brothers indefinitely. Captain Boone Jenner told hockey writers this week that Johnny will be with them forever.
“For ourselves and my teammates, there is no day we are not honored and remembered by him,” Jenner said. “We keep talking about him and his story and what Johnny will do. We will continue to do that. He will always be a part of our team. He will always be in the locker room with us, away from our rink, with us.”
There are many other examples that show that the brother’s legacy is remembered. Cole Caufield switched his number from 22 to 13 in honor of his hero Johnny. The flames warmed up in 13 jerseys. Team USA decals have brothers’ names and numbers. After winning for the first time in ’92, they switched Johnny’s men’s national jersey to the IIHF World Championship Trophy. Boston College held a moment of silence in memory of the brothers. Hollydell Ice Arena was renamed as one of the ice rinks “John and Matthew Gaudreau Rink” to remember their local influence.
Again, here are some small samples of the way the Gaudreau Brothers are honored and commemorated. The theme is the same no matter which memory attracts you the most. The Gaudreau family, Blue Jackets and others promise to keep their memories and legacy. A year later, everyone did this without a doubt.
The pain is still severe
Friday will be a tough day for many. The pain of the tragedy remains. Jenner said in describing all these really inspiring things that are, it’s the best.
“But the really inspiring things are the Meredith, Madeline and Gaudreau families, everything they do to help others and the community,” Jenner said. “They did 5K, but Meredith and Madeline and everything they went through and how they handled it was just inspiring every day. Now they have the John and Matt Foundation. It will be very powerful. And, it will help many kids and families in the name of Johnny and Matty, and it’s really inspiring when I really inspired them and Johnny’s kids.
Jenner can’t say it’s better. True power. What the Gaudreau family had to endure in the past year last year was almost incredible. However, thanks to the overwhelming support of the community and the hockey world, this family finds lasting strength.
This power has led to all the different ways that Johnny and Matthew are remembered today. They may disappear, but they will never be forgotten.
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They say the real sign of love and respect is how others think of someone. Just look at what is said about John and Matthew. What stands out? They are family men. They are men they love. Their role models touch on the lives of countless people in the world.
Thanks to the universal memories of John and Matthew, countless lives have been improved by thinking, learning from them and imitating their examples.
It is always their love that stands out the most. On the first anniversary of this tragedy, let’s focus on their love role model and the lives it will eventually change.
Thanks to the unremitting efforts of the Gaudro family, Blue Jackets and many others have delivered on their promises, and Johnny and Matthew’s legacy is brighter than ever. Give you a reason to smile today.
