The Gaudreau brothers were intended to be groomsmen in the wedding, which was canceled in the wake of this tragedy.
Sean Higgins, 43, was arrested on two counts of vehicular homicide while under suspicion of drunk driving. His arraignment is set for September 5. Higgins was a decorated major in the United States Army, where he worked in a rehab center.
Oldmans Township is a dry county in the state of New Jersey, indicating Higgins had become intoxicated elsewhere, admitting to law enforcement that he had “five to six drinks.”
Johnny, 31, was going into his third season as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, having signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract in July of 2022. After being drafted in the fourth round (101st overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames, Gaudreau finished his college career at Boston College, winning the 2012 National Championship. He would go on to win the Hockey East Player of the Year in both 2013 and 2014, before scoring a goal in his NHL debut for the Flames, their regular season finale.
The 2014-2015 NHL season saw the Flames make the playoffs, and Gaudreau had 64 points in the regular season (24 goals, 40 assists), with another nine points during the Flames’ run to the second round. Gaudreau would end up a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, losing to Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers.
Johnny Gaudreau signed a three-year, $5.5 million entry-level contract with the Flames in November of 2014, and never played a single game with the Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate during his tenure. In October of 2016, Gaudreau signed a six-year, $40.5 million extension, and would help guide the Flames to the Stanley Cup playoffs four more times.
After becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022, there was a lot of speculation that Gaudreau could be on the move from Calgary, as fellow All Star Matthew Tkachuk had been traded to the Panthers. Many predicted that Johnny Gaudreau would sign with the New York Islanders to be closer to his home in New Jersey, as the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers could not offer the same level of salary cap space for a long term deal. His signing with Columbus caught just about every NHL fan by surprise, and most of the media. Columbus was coming off an 81-point regular season, missing the playoffs by 19 points. For context, the Islanders finished with 84 points, also missing the playoffs in an Eastern Conference where all eight qualifying teams hit the century mark.
Immediately the speculation turned to what would happen with Patrik Laine, the dynamic forward the Blue Jackets acquired from the Winnipeg Jets at the 2021 trade deadline. Columbus moved several upstart assets to make room for a long term deal for Laine, but success did not follow. Last season Columbus finished dead last in the Eastern Conference with 66 points, third worst in the NHL. Gaudreau’s first season in Ohio’s capital saw Columbus finish with 59 points, again dead last in the Eastern Conference, tied with Chicago for second-worst, and only one point ahead of Anaheim for the worst in the NHL. The high draft pick saw the Blue Jackets select Adam Fantili third overall in the 2023 Entry Draft, with dreams of the 19-year-old rookie being paired with Gaudreau.
In 763 NHL games, Johnny Gaudreau finished his career with 243 goals and 500 assists for 743 points. There is no doubt that had Gaudreau played the remaining five years of the contract, he would have scored an average of 50 points per season to reach the magical 1,000, which is almost assuredly a ticket to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The elder Gaudreau’s best season came in 2021-22, where he would achieve career highs in goals (40), assists (75) and points (115), en route to being named to the All NHL First Team at season’s end. In 2017, Johnny Gaudreau was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given to “the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PWHA). The award is commonly thought of as a “gentleman’s award,” as the recipients are All-Star caliber players with exceptionally low penalty minutes for the number of games played. Gaudreau played 72 games that season with Calgary, drawing only two minor penalties all season, for a grand total of four minutes in the penalty box.
Matthew Gaudreau was 29 at the time of the incident, and would have turned 30 on December 5. Matthew’s wife Madeline was pregnant with the couple’s first child, who they have already named Tripp, and was scheduled to give birth sometime in December. A GoFundMe has already raised over $500,000 to Matthew’s family, and I would not be surprised if we saw the Blue Jackets payout at least one year of what remained on Johnny’s contract to Meredith and their children. Granted nothing will take the place of having Matthew and Johnny raising their children, but knowing they will be taken care of would be the last wish that any parent would have.
From a business standpoint, this puts the Blue Jackets now $26 million under the salary cap, with training camp scheduled to open for all 32 NHL teams in the next few weeks. The Blue Jackets certainly would not have qualified for the playoffs here, but this season can be a year-long tribune to the memory of their All Star forward, one that will see their home opener on October 15 against the Pittsburgh Penguins take a complete backseat to everything happening on the ice. The makeshift memorials have only grown in size outside Nationwide Arena in Columbus, and the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. Matthew was the head hockey coach at Gloucester Catholic High School, his and Johnny’s alma mater in Gloucester City, New Jersey, and had recently accepted a skills coach position with a junior team in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
All 32 NHL teams shared some level of tribute either on their social media accounts, and several posted statements to the home page of their website. The hockey world mourns the loss of two outstanding men. Where there should be excitement for a new season, tragedy fills the hearts of fans across North America.
Rest in Peace Johnny (1993-2024) and Matthew (1994-2024) Gaudreau.
-JC24