Blue Jackets’ Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew Gaudreau killed in cycling accident

Columbus Blue Jackets star forward Johnny Gaudreau was struck and killed by a car while riding a bicycle on Thursday evening, New Jersey State Police sources confirmed to Daily Faceoff. The devastating news sent heartbreaking shockwaves rippling across the hockey world from Columbus to Calgary. He was 31.

New Jersey State Police sources indicated Gaudreau and his younger brother, Matthew, a former professional hockey player in the AHL and ECHL, both died in the same accident. Police said the Gaudreau brothers were riding bicycles when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver; the accident occurred around 8:19 p.m. on Thursday in rural Salem County, N.J., outside of Philadelphia. Police sources said the accident remained under investigation on Friday but a New Jersey man was charged with two counts of death by auto.

The NHL confirmed the tragic news Friday morning in a statement from commissioner Gary Bettman.

“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew,” Bettman said in the statement. “While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path.”

“Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice,” said the Columbus Blue Jackets in a team statement Friday morning. “He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him. Johnny embraced our community when he arrived two years ago, and Columbus welcomed him with open arms. We will miss him terribly and do everything that we can to support his family and each other through this tragedy.

“At this time, we ask for prayers for the Gaudreau family and that their privacy be respected as they grieve.”

Gaudreau turned 31 less than three weeks ago. He was due to report to Columbus for his 11th NHL season, set to embark on the third year of an eight-year, $68.25 million pact signed with the Blue Jackets in 2022.

To family and friends he was simply known as John, but “Johnny Hockey” burst onto the international hockey stage in 2011 at Boston College at the same time “Johnny Football” Manziel was making magic happen at Texas A&M. Famously undersized, listed at 5-foot-9, but with the heart of a lion and some of the softest hands hockey has ever seen, Gaudreau was picked by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round (104th overall) that previous spring from the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints – another classic example of NHL teams scouting with a tape measure.

It was that fall, when Gaudreau arrived on campus in Chestnut Hill, that the rest of the hockey world quickly recognized why the Flames took a flier. As a freshman, Gaudreau scored a National Championship sealing goal for the ages in 2012, adding to his Hockey East playoff MVP and Beanpot MVP. He built on his tremendous freshman season by being named Hockey East player of the year as a sophomore, then remained on campus as a junior with the design of playing alongside his younger brother Matthew, and captured the Hobey Baker Award for hockey’s Heisman before joining the Flames for the final game of the 2013-14 season.

Cowtown was immediately swept up in Johnny Hockey mania. Gaudreau linked up with 19-year-old Sean Monahan and both piled up 60-plus point seasons in 2014-15 to help the Flames qualify for the playoffs for the first time in six seasons and win a playoff series for the first time since Calgary fell in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2004. Gaudreau was named an NHL All-Star as a rookie, replacing Sidney Crosby, for the All-Star festivities in Columbus. At 5-foot-9, behemoths hulking NHL blue lines couldn’t hit what they couldn’t catch – and Gaudreau was all things slippery, silky and smooth, possessing a poise and creativity that rivaled some of the all-time greats.

Gaudreau spent eight seasons in Calgary, well on his way to having his No. 13 hang from the Saddledome ceiling, when he opted for free agency and surprisingly signed in Columbus in 2022. He cited family as a big reason for the move, opting to be closer to the East Coast, where he was raised in southern New Jersey. Gaudreau marked the biggest free agent signing in Blue Jackets franchise history: “We just can’t pass on an opportunity like this with a player of his caliber wanting to come here,” Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen said that day. This season, Gaudreau couldn’t wait to reunite with Flames linemate Sean Monahan in Columbus. Now, for the second time in four offseasons, the Blue Jackets are mourning the unimaginable loss of another player; goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks tragically died in a fireworks accident on July 4, 2021.

No matter in Columbus or Calgary, Gaudreau was a legend in Philadelphia hockey circles, perhaps the biggest star to rise to the NHL as a homegrown talent. His father, Vermont native Guy Gaudreau, operated a local rink in Sewell, N.J. – where he famously incentivized Little Johnny to skate by placing his favorite candy, Skittles, in patterns around the ice. Barely two years old, it didn’t take Gaudreau long to become a master of his edges, always a level or two above anyone else his age or size. He remained true to his Jersey roots, spending the bulk of his summers training in and around the Jersey Shore, and true to his family. His brother and Boston College teammate, Matthew, also signed a contract with the Flames organization.

Gaudreau put together a career certainly in the conversation for admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame, registering 743 points in 763 career games. One of the best playmakers of his generation, Gaudreau rung up exactly 500 assists, including a magical 115-point contract year in 2021-22, when he was voted first-team All-Star as the best left winger in the game that year in end-of-season awards. He twice finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting for league’s most valuable player, narrowly missing out on being a finalist, and captured the Lady Byng Trophy in 2015 for gentlemanly play and sportsmanship. It’s just a Hall of Fame conversation that no one ever imagined entertaining, not this soon, not under circumstances like these.

Gaudreau is survived by his wife, Meredith, his two young children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, Guy and Jane, and his sisters Kristen and Katie. An outpouring of tributes and condolences from around the hockey world flooded social media on Friday grappling with grief for a star whose life and career was cut impossibly short.