Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau‘s parents, Guy and Jane, were reportedly hospitalized hours after their sons were killed by an alleged drunk driver.
The Athletic published new details about how the Gaudreau family reportedly reacted after NHL star Johnny and his brother, Matthew, were killed while cycling near Oldmans Township, New Jersey, in August 2024. (Johnny and Matthew were 31 and 29, respectively.)
According to the outlet, Jane and Guy were both hospitalized on the same day that their sons were killed. Guy was put under observation for elevated blood pressure and heart rate, whereas Jane’s family said she became completely unresponsive while entering a “catatonic-like state” after learning of the tragedy.
Although the two were put in separate hospital rooms, the nursing staff reportedly allowed Jane to crawl into Guy’s bed. Both were released from the hospital after staying for two nights.
Why the Gaudreau Brothers’ Heartbreaking Tragedy Captured Everyone’s Attention
Johnny and Matthew were back in their hometown in advance of their their sister Katie’s wedding, which was postponed following their deaths. Katie and her fiancé, Devin Joyce, ultimately tied the knot in July in a Gloucester City, New Jersey, ceremony filled with tributes to her brothers.
The brothers’ wives, Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau, were both pregnant at the time of the fatal drunk driving accident. Madeline gave birth to her first baby, Tripp Matthew, in December 2024, while Meredith welcomed son Carter Michael in April. (Johnny and Meredith shared two older children as well: Noa, born in 2022, and Johnny Jr., born in 2024.)
In June, Meredith wrote an open letter for Players’ Tribune to describe the intense grief that both she and Madeline faced in the immediate aftermath of their husbands’ deaths.
“I was in shock [when I found out]. I was keeled over for days sick to my stomach,” she recalled. “It’s completely indescribable. The only person who can relate to me is my own sister-in-law. I see her and my heart breaks for her.”
Meredith described the whiplash of emotions as she went from preparing for sister-in-law’s wedding to planning her husband and brother-in-law’s funerals within hours.
“To go from getting ready for a beautiful wedding all week with your sister, to being in a funeral home with Madeline trying to figure all these things out — it just hurt so much,” she noted. “It was weird and it was awful. I had to go to the doctor for our third baby. The first of my appointments where [John wasn’t] holding my hand.”
Her letter went on, “I looked at Noa and baby Johnny and I felt a pain that I hadn’t felt before. Our two babies who have to grow up without their dad, without their amazing uncle.”
Meredith Gaudreau Recalls the Final Words She Said to Late Husband Johnny
Meredith and Madeline formally announced the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation on August 13 — which would have been Johnny’s 32nd birthday — to raise money and provide support for the hockey community, as well as charitable causes that Johnny and Matthew were passionate about. (Johnny was a seven-time NHL All-Star for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets in his professional career, while Matthew retired from the ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League, and the American Hockey League to coach youth hockey.)
“John and Matty made a tremendous and everlasting impact on everyone who knew them,” a foundation statement read. “In addition to their hockey talents, the boys were known for their kindness. The Foundation’s purpose is to continue giving back to what the boys are passionate about and to ultimately continue to make a positive impact on the world in their honor.”
The legal battle over Johnny and Matthew’s deaths has continued throughout the past year. In December 2024, Sean Higgins was indicted by a grand jury on suspicion of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, first-degree aggravated manslaughter, fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence and second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
Ahead of a September trial, Higgins entered a not guilty plea and refused to accept a plea offer that would have seen him spend 35 years behind bars. If he is convicted, Higgins could face as many as 70 years in prison.
