Latest news with #MatthewGaudreau
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Columbus Blue Jackets to open 2025-26 at Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild
The Blue Jackets' full schedule for their 25th anniversary season will soon be released, but three games are already confirmed thanks to social media posts from NHL team accounts. According to posts July 16 from the Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild, the Jackets will again start on the road. They'll open the 2025-26 season Oct. 9 at the Nashville Predators, travel North to face the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 11 and return for the home opener Oct. 13 against the New Jersey Devils. Last season, the Blue Jackets split their first two games on the road against the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche before returning to open the home schedule against the Florida Panthers in a game preceded by an emotional ceremony to honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. The Blue Jackets' full schedule will be released at noon July 16, about three weeks later than previous years when its release coincided with the NHL draft in late June. Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@ and @ Get more on the Columbus Blue Jackets with our Cannon Fodder podcast This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets to open at Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gaudreau Family Friend Shares Tribute to Johnny and Matthew on Day of Sister Katie's Wedding
Katie Gaudreau is getting married on Friday, July 11, and one of her friends will be sure the bride's late brothers, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, are represented. Jamie Hill, a longtime friend of the Gaudreau family, shared a photo of his wedding day socks via Instagram on Friday morning. One is emblazoned with the initials JG, and the other, MG. Katie, 26, is set to marry fiancé Devin Joyce in Philadelphia almost a year after her brothers' unexpected deaths forced them to postpone. Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver the night before the wedding while riding their bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on August 29, 2024. Johnny was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets at the time, while Matthew played collegiate hockey at Boston College. Katie Gaudreau Adds Brothers Johnny and Matthew's Initials to Her Wedding Band: 'Forever With Me' Hill revealed in January that he will stand in Johnny's place at the wedding, sharing a handwritten note from Katie and Devin, in which they called him Katie's 'additional big brother.' 'I'm beyond honored to stand in my best friends place to watch his little sister walk down the aisle and marry her best friend,' he wrote in the caption. 'Katie and Dev I know both John and 'Matty will be with you on your special day. They're so proud of the people you have become and love you so much. I miss my boys so much, everyday feels like a bad dream but I know they'll be watching on this day 🩷' Katie replied to the post with, 'Love you so much.' Hill also promised to be there for both former athletes' families as they navigated such a difficult time in their lives. Johnny married his wife, Meredith Gaudreau, in 2021, and the couple welcomed daughter Noa in 2022 and son Johnny Jr. in February 2024. Meredith announced in September while giving her husband's eulogy that the couple was expecting a third child, and their son Carter was born in April 2025. Matthew and his wife, Madeline Gaudreau, also married in 2021, and Madeline gave birth to son Tripp in December, four months after the accident. Katie Gaudreau Says Late Bros Johnny and Matthew Will Be 'Dancing and Celebrating' at New Wedding 'Dear John and matty I swear to you both aunt V and uncle Jame will be there to help Meredith and madeline get through this tragic time,' Hill wrote via Instagram in September. 'They are stronger beyond belief. Your kids will know how great, loving, caring, selfless and overall good human beings you were, all the amazing times we had and how much they were loved by you guys. My heart aches and I don't think this hole will ever go away. Just know we will love your kids and be there no matter what you have my word. Until we meet again I love you my brothers.'
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau's widow recalls harrowing moment she was told her husband had been killed
The widow of late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau has opened up on the tragic moment she was told her husband and his brother Matthew had died in a tragic bicycle accident last year. Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were both killed after being hit by a drunk driver while out cycling on a New Jersey highway the night before their sister's wedding in late August 2024. Their passing proved all the more painful given both men were awaiting the birth of children, with Matthew on the verge of becoming a father for the very first time. His wife, Madeline, eventually gave birth to their baby boy, Tripp Matthew, four months later. And in April of this year, Meredith - Johnny's wife of three years before his death - welcomed their third child and second son, Carter Michael. Just over two months since giving birth in heartbreaking circumstances, Meredith has recalled the moment she received the news that her husband and his younger brother had lost their lives in an emotional letter published by The Players' Tribune. Titled 'Thank You For Being Perfect, John', the letter shares a number of special moments from their relationship before moving on to that fateful day in August. 'You kissed all of us goodbye and said you'd see us later. And that was that,' she wrote. Meredith then revealed that Johnny and Matthew's sister Katie, whose wedding day had been shattered in the most harrowing way possible, initially alerted her to the bicycle accident. 'Katie called, and she said something had happened, but she didn't know what exactly,' she added. 'I was thinking the whole time about how I was going to help you through whatever it could be that had happened to Matty. 'And then I walked up the front porch and learned the absolute worst had happened and that it was both of you. 'There aren't any words to go here.' The mom of three said the pain was 'completely indescribable.' 'I was keeled over for days, sick to my stomach,' she continued. 'The only person who can relate to me is my own sister-in-law. I see her and my heart breaks for her. 'I'm sick for her. We had just celebrated their gender reveal. We were all just down the shore together and had so much fun. Matty made me laugh so much that weekend.' Johnny, an NHL veteran who was poised to enter his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2024, married Meredith back in September 2021. The couple then welcomed their first child, daughter Noa, a year later, and son Johnny as recently as March 2024. In a tearful tribute at his funeral back in September, Gaudreau's widow revealed she was pregnant with their third baby following his tragic passing, before giving birth to Carter Michael on April 1, 2025. She concluded in her Players' Tribune letter: 'I love you so much. I miss you every second of every day. I miss you more and more every day as well. My love grows deeper for you each day too.'
National Post
12-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Gaudreau's widow shares heartfelt thoughts in Father's Day tribute
Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of Johnny Gaudreau, penned a touching Father's Day tribute to the late NHL all-star and father of her three children. Article content The piece, which was published on The Players' Tribune on Thursday, also revealed her initial reaction to learning about the tragedy that befell Johnny and his brother Matthew Gaudreau last August. Article content The brothers, who were in their hometown of Salem, N.J., for their sister's wedding, were biking on the evening of Aug. 29, 2024, in nearby Oldmans Township when they were mowed down by a vehicle that was allegedly being operated by an impaired driver. Article content 'Katie (Gaudreau) called and she said something had happened, but she didn't know what exactly. My dad drove me over to your parents and I was thinking the whole time about how I was going to help you through whatever it could be that had happened to Matty. And then I walked up the front porch and learned the absolute worst had happened and that it was both of you,' Meredith wrote as if addressing a letter to Johnny. Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Players' Tribune (@playerstribune) Article content Article content 'I was in shock. I was keeled over for days sick to my stomach. 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. I'm sick for her. Article content 'We had just celebrated their gender reveal. We were all just down the shore together and had so much fun. Matty made me laugh so much that weekend. Article content 'I thought of our baby inside of me. I couldn't stand up. I was awake and having nightmares. Thinking of you in that moment. Thinking of Matty. It's just the worst thing I could have ever imagined. Article content Article content In the touching tribute, Meredith also shares stories about meeting the former Flames star, their wedding and the family's move to Columbus, Ohio, after he signed with the Blue Jackets before the 2022-23 season.
National Post
12-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Meredith Gaudreau in letter to Johnny: ‘You loved Calgary so much'
In a heartfelt letter to her late husband Johnny, published by The Players' Tribune just days before Father's Day, Meredith Gaudreau refers to Calgary as 'one of the most important places we ever spent time in' and reminisces about her introduction to the city — and the rink — where he was starring for the Flames. Article content Meredith recounts her arrival at YYC, and then heading to the Saddledome for a game that night. Article content Article content Article content Johnny was a fan favourite forward for the Flames for eight seasons. At 31, he was still in the prime of his NHL career when he and his younger brother, Matthew, were killed last August when they were struck by a vehicle while riding bicycles along a rural road in their home state of New Jersey. Article content Meredith gave birth to their third child, a boy named Carter, in April. Article content 'Gosh, do you remember my first trip there? How I had to ask my mom where my passport was?' Meredith wrote for The Players' Tribune in a letter that is titled 'Thank you for being perfect, John.' 'Because I had never been to Canada …. We had to check that it wasn't expired. I landed in Calgary and I didn't know what customs were, or why my cell phone wasn't working, or how I'd ever find your friend to pick me up. I was so worried, and then I remember looking at this billboard and there you were, number 13, in your Flames jersey. The coolest guy in town. I was thinking, What in the world…….. Where am I? Article content 'You were the first star of the night,' she continued. 'I saw hundreds of people in GAUDREAU jerseys. It was all so surreal. After the game you called me and I was lost again. I was in the concourse waiting for you and couldn't figure out how to get down and find you. 'What am I supposed to do, John? Just tell them I'm here to see Johnny Gaudreau?!' We both laughed about it and went for a drink that night. You didn't say a thing about the game. You just wanted to hear about my day, about me. The coolest guy in town. Coolest guy in the world. Article content Article content 'You loved Calgary so much. And I loved that about you. You were so proud to be a Flame. You showed me around town with a big smile on your face. All your favourite spots, your favourite people. I liked hearing all the Alberta accents — it still cracks me up to this day. I think we walked every inch of that city together. Pretty soon I fell in love with it, too.' Article content Meredith also recounts how her husband grappled with the decision to depart Calgary as an unrestricted free agent in July of 2022. Article content He ultimately signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, wanting to be closer to his family — and hers — in the eastern U.S. She was, at the time, 36 weeks pregnant with their first child. Article content Article content 'Your contract was up, and you had to think about your career and your family and your legacy in Calgary,' Meredith wrote. 'And I know how hard it was on you. You weren't eating like usual, you barely slept. I'd feel you leave the bed at night and go to think about it. You loved being a Flame. I know that. And you knew how painful it would be to leave. I kept telling you, 'Whatever you choose, John, I will be happy.' I told you I loved Calgary, too. And how fortunate I felt to even be in this position, how lucky we both were. You knew that.
