Blue Jackets Star Johnny Gaudreau & His Brother Matthew Tragically Die In Cycling Accident Involving Suspected Drunk Driver

Awful news out of the NHL this morning, as Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, were struck and killed by a driver while cycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1829490837736292581 NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the Blue Jackets, along with many other teams, released a statement on the tragedy. Mike Greenberg relayed on Get Up this morning that police suspected the driver of being under the influence. https://twitter.com/BlueJacketsNHL/status/1829481858968535120 https://twitter.com/wyshynski/status/1829487658139267164 Tributes and condolences are pouring in across the hockey world, as the Gaudreaus died on the eve of their sister's wedding. https://twitter.com/JMechling_36/status/1829484406014427590 https://twitter.com/nhljackhughes/status/1829448368805863678 https://twitter.com/ryanwhitney6/status/1829498020922069154 https://twitter.com/SEllisHockey/status/1829483979093029213 https://twitter.com/MarioLeGoat/status/1829482748882428141 This is one of those horrible situations where we're reminded how nonchalant and cruel life can be at times. No family deserves to endure what the Gaudreaus are going through right now. Johnny Gaudreau, affectionately known as Johnny Hockey began his NHL career with the Calgary Flames, capping off his time there with his best season of 40 goals, 75 assists and 115 points in 2021-22. That led to a seven-year contract worth over $68 million in free agency to land in Columbus. He has also been a cornerstone for Team USA over the course of his entire career, earning medals for the U18 Team, Junior Team and the Men's National Team. https://twitter.com/SaadYousuf126/status/1829499695535644958 Although he didn't reach that standard of play in his first two seasons with the Jackets, Gaudreau still had a lot of time ahead to make good on the deal he signed. Sadly, he'll never get the chance to prove that. According to his profile on Elite Prospects , Matthew Gaudreau was the head coach at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey. That came after following in his brother's footsteps to play at Boston College and hopping around to several different minor-league hockey stops. Not much else to add here. Words fail to describe how devastating this is for the Gaudreau family and the greater hockey community. Just have to hope some semblance of justice is done when it comes to the driver who took the Gaudreau brothers' lives.