Wife of Johnny Gaudreau's brother bravely celebrates baby shower after tragic deaths

The wife of Johnny Gaudreau's brother celebrated her baby shower as she bravely marked the upcoming birth of their child following the tragic death of her husband.

Madeline Gaudreau is expecting a baby boy - which she plans to call Tripp - and posed for pictures in front of balloons on Oct. 12. In pictures posted on Instagram, she is shown smiling next to a sign which read, "A little piece of heaven" and "Welcome to our baby shower, Matty and Madeline".

Her valiant appearance at the baby shower came after her partner Matthew was killed after being struck by a car while riding his bike in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. alongside his NHL star brother Johnny. The tragedy took place on Aug. 29 just a day prior to their sister's wedding.

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Taking to Instagram, Madeline thanked the hosts of the baby shower as she paid tribute to her late husband in a moving post, which was captioned: "Baby Shower of my Dreams. Thank you @gabriellevasaturo for hosting. @bitesizedsis you’re amazing, my husband would have loved all the balloons.

"The way you were able to tie in my husband brought instant tears when I walked in," she proudly added. "All my friends and family, nothing will bring his dad back or uncle John, but I am glad he has so many amazing people around him to remind him how amazing they were.”

Meanwhile, sister-in-law Katie Gaudreau also paid tribute to the brothers with a heartfelt post, which read: "Felt the love from your Daddy and Uncle John today. We love you Tripp Matthew," as Johnny's widow, Meredith Gaudreau added: "I got you. We got this. So proud of you. Already the best mom."

Sean Higgins, who is suspected of killing the brothers, appeared in a virtual courtroom in New Jersey last month, with Judge Michael Silviano making reference to "road rage-like behavior". The accused individual is due back in court on Oct. 15 after he was denied bond last month.

Reflecting on being presented with evidence of Higgins being over the legal alcohol limit while driving, the judge also said: "His operation was so impaired that he didn’t even see these two young men on their bikes riding safely on the roadway."

Speaking to WBZ-TV previously, the family released a statement on the deaths of their loved ones which read: "Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, two brothers, two sons and brothers in law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates, two friends but truly two amazing humans.

"We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support and we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. We ask for your continued respect and privacy during this very difficult period of grief."