NHL legend Henrik Lundqvist has opened about the impact the recent deaths of NHL All-Star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, have had on the hockey community.
“Obviously, it’s such a tragedy. It’s had a huge effect on all the players in the hockey community,” Lundqvist, 42, a Hall of Famer goalie for the New York Rangers, told Fox News in an interview published Friday, October 4.
“Hockey community is tight. I played against Johnny, met Johnny a bunch at All-Star events through friends, super-nice guy. His brother, I never met, but listening to people talk about them as brothers and family, they were great people. It was a tough couple days when you heard the news and just sad.”
Johnny and Matthew were killed on August 29 when an allegedly drunk driver struck the siblings while they were riding bicycles near their hometown in New Jersey. The brothers were together to celebrate their sister Katie’s wedding, which was to be held the next day. Johnny and Matthew were 31 and 29, respectively.
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Following the deaths, Katie and her fiancé, Devin Joyce, canceled their wedding in light of the tragedy.
Sean M. Higgins, the man accused of fatally striking Johnny and Matthew with his vehicle, is currently behind bars after being charged with two counts of vehicular homicide.
During a September 13 court appearance, it was revealed that Higgins’ blood-alcohol level was .087, over the legal limit of .08.
Higgins had previously admitted to New Jersey State Police that he had consumed “five to six beers” before killing Johnny and Matthew. He also admitted to drinking while he was operating his vehicle.
Higgins is accused of driving erratically and impatiently, eventually striking the brothers at a high rate of speed and killing them instantly. During the hearing, Judge Michael Silviano said, “[Higgins’] operation was so impaired that he didn’t even see these two young men on their bikes riding safely on the roadway.”
His next court date is scheduled for October 15. Higgins is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison.
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Meanwhile, Johnny and Matthew’s family are seeking to prevent records of the fatal crash being made public.
The Gaudreau family has filed a motion that would prevent any government entity from releasing records related to the crash, including 911 calls, video footage from police dashboard and body cameras, photographs, investigative reports or autopsy images, according to NJ.com.
Johnny and Matthew are survived by their parents, Guy and Jane, and their two sisters, Katie and Kristen. In addition, Johnny is survived by his wife, Meredith Gaudreau, daughter Noa, 2, and son Johnny, 7 months. At the memorial service held for the brothers on September 9, Meredith revealed she is currently pregnant with their third baby.
