Hockey sticks, Gatorade left in tribute on NJ road where NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew were killed: ‘Forever in our hearts’
By Katherine Donlevy, Marie Pohl,
2024-09-01
Grieving hockey fans erected a memorial Saturday on the New Jersey corner where an alleged drunk driver claimed the lives of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew.
A cross crafted from old hockey sticks bearing the names of the brothers and their respective player numbers was plunged into the ground alongside County Route 551 in Oldmans Township, where the duo had been cycling together Thursday evening on the eve of their sister’s wedding.
Several other sticks were arranged on the grass peppered between dozens of flower bouquets, balloons and a sign promising that the brothers will be “forever in our hearts.”
A makeshift memorial with hockey sticks and Gatorade was erected on the corner where the Gaudreau brothers were killed. Suchat Pederson/New York Post
A cross bearing the brothers’ names and player numbers was made out of hockey sticks. Suchat Pederson/New York Post “What makes this so sad is that it could have been preventable. If he drank, why didn’t he just take an Uber?” one grieving visitor said. Suchat Pederson/New York Post
Odes to the Gaudreaus’ respective hockey careers were also offered up at the memorial — including two bottles of Gatorade, which served as a nod to Johnny Gaudreau’s tradition of sharing a bottle of the sports drink with his old Calgary Flames teammates after scoring a goal.
One man who laid down flowers told The Post the offerings were left by “the entire hockey community across the country,” with fans placing hockey sticks outside their own doors in honor of the Gaudreaus.
A similar “sticks out” tribute unfolded in hockey communities across Canada and the United States in April 2018, after 16 people, including 10 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, were killed when their bus was struck by a truck in rural Saskatchewan.
“What makes this so sad is that it could have been preventable. If he drank, why didn’t he just take an Uber?” one grieving visitor, who declined to share their name, said of the alleged drunk driver.
Matthew and Johnny were cycling along the road when they were struck and killed. Getty Images
Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were biking in their New Jersey hometown when they were struck and killed by a motorist who allegedly told a state trooper he guzzled “five to six” beers” before the crash.
The driver, Sean Higgins, reportedly attempted to pass an SUV in front of him, which had moved into the middle of the roadway to give the brothers plenty of room, just after 8 p.m.
The US Army Major tried to pass the SUV on the right, striking the Gaudreaus from behind. The county road is rural, with crops on either side. There are no shoulders or street lights.
The tragedy struck one day before the Gaudreau brothers were set to take part as groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding to hockey player Devin Joyce in Gloucester City, NJ. The family had even celebrated the wedding rehearsal just hours before the tragedy.
Johnny, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.
Higgins — who appeared to sigh with exasperation in court upon learning he would be held in jail through next week — faces two counts of vehicular homicide.
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