Welcome back to another installment of Run It Back. Today’s article will be a more somber piece, remembering the extraordinary lives of brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Johnny played in the NHL between the 2013-14 and 2023-24 seasons, while Matthew played in the AHL and ECHL—the NHL’s two minor league affiliates—between 2017-18 and 2021-22 before transitioning to coaching.
As the 2024-25 NHL season gets underway this week, fans across Canada and the United States are raring to watch their favorite teams play again. However, many fans, myself included, cannot help but feel saddened by the losses of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
On Aug. 29, 2024, tragedy struck the ice hockey community when Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, former AHL and ECHL forward Matthew Gaudreau, were killed by a drunk driver while the two were riding their bicycles. The brothers were visiting their hometown in New Jersey for their sister Katie’s wedding, set to serve as groomsmen during the ceremony. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.
In the time since their deaths, the Gaudreau brothers and their families have received an outpouring of support from teammates, coaches, and fans alike.
One such tribute came from hockey legend Jaromír Jágr, who was teammates with Johnny on the Calgary Flames in 2017-18. Shortly following Johnny’s passing, Jágr took to Instagram and posted a video of his last NHL goal, which Johnny assisted on.
Before I go any further, let’s discuss where the Gaudreaus grew up and their beginnings in the game of ice hockey.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau grew up in Carneys Point Twp., N.J., which is just 33 miles away from Philadelphia. The brothers were fans of the local sports teams, most notably the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
Their father, Guy Gaudreau, played soccer and ice hockey at Norwich University and served as the head coach for Gloucester Catholic High School’s ice hockey team for 11 years, coaching for his sons along the way.
After two seasons at Gloucester Catholic, Johnny relocated to Dubuque, Iowa to play junior hockey for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints during the 2010-11 season. He made an immediate impact, tallying 36 goals and 72 points across 60 games played. Johnny helped Dubuque to the Clark Cup championship, earning USHL Rookie of the Year honors for his efforts.
At season’s end, Johnny was drafted into the NHL by the Calgary Flames, being selected in the fourth round, 104th overall. Standing at five feet, nine inches tall, Johnny Hockey was one of the shortest players ever selected in the NHL Entry Draft.
However, Johnny did not let his height deter him from succeeding on the ice. Following the Flames’ 2011-12 training camp, Johnny began his collegiate hockey career, playing his first of three seasons for Boston College.
Johnny emerged as a point-per-game player at BC, totaling 44 points in 44 games, with 21 goals to boot. In his freshman season, Boston College won the NCAA Division I national championship, the fifth in program history. During the championship game against Ferris State University, Johnny skillfully maneuvered past a pair of defenders to provide an insurance goal for BC.
While Johnny was making a name for himself in the NCAA, Matthew had joined the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. Matthew appeared in the Clark Cup playoffs for Omaha in 2012, with the Lancers falling to the Waterloo Black Hawks in the conference semifinals.
In 2013-14, Johnny and Matthew were teammates at Boston College. That season, Johnny had his best year yet, scoring 36 goals and recording 80 points across 40 games played. At the end of his monster year, Johnny received the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in NCAA men’s ice hockey.
The following year, Johnny played in his first full NHL season, having appeared in one game for Calgary in the midst of his Hobey Baker campaign the prior year.
In the 2014-15 regular season, Johnny was the Flames’ second-highest leading scorer with 64 points on the year. His rookie season saw him place third in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the NHL’s Rookie of the Year award, as Calgary reached the postseason for the first time since 2009.
The Flames faced the Vancouver Canucks in the opening round, looking to win a playoff series for the first time since 2004 (which also happened to be the last time Calgary and Vancouver met in the playoffs). In the series, Johnny scored two goals and four assists for six points, tying with teammate Jiří Hudler as the series’ leading scorer. The Flames prevailed in six games, advancing to round two for the first time in 11 years.
In the second round, Calgary lost in five games against the Anaheim Ducks, the Western Conference’s top seed. Despite the loss, though, Johnny’s stellar season provided hope for a Flames team that had not experienced many bright spots in recent seasons.
Back at the collegiate ranks, Matthew was developing into one of BC’s top contributors on the ice. In 2016-17, his senior season, Matthew was tied as Boston College’s leading scorer, tallying 35 points in 40 games. That season, BC claimed a share of the Hockey East Conference’s regular season title, alongside in-state rivals UMass Lowell and Boston University.
Following the season, Matthew signed an amateur try-out agreement (ATO) with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders. Matthew appeared in nine games for Bridgeport and 38 games for the ECHL’s Worcester Railers, accumulating 28 points in 47 games between both clubs. Matthew also appeared in the postseason for Worcester, tallying three points in six playoff games as the Railers lost to the Adirondack Thunder in the first round.
After finishing 2017-18 with 84 points in 80 games, Johnny Hockey kicked things up a notch the next year. In 2018-19, Johnny had the most productive season of his NHL career up to that point, tallying 99 points in 82 games to lead the Flames in scoring. Johnny’s efforts helped Calgary to win its first division title since 2006, as well as the Western Conference’s top playoff seed.
The Flames did not succeed in the 2019 playoffs, though, as the Colorado Avalanche upset Calgary in five games. Johnny was limited to just one assist in the series as the Flames’ season ended with four straight losses.
That same season, Matthew had another good year with Worcester, finishing fifth in team scoring with 33 points in 50 games. Between Worcester and Bridgeport, Matthew ended 2018-19 with 37 points over 58 games played.
2019-20 was another solid offensive season for both brothers—Johnny with the Flames, and Matthew with the Reading Royals, the ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. In the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened campaign, Johnny finished second in scoring for Calgary with 58 points in 70 games. Meanwhile, Matthew had his best season in professional hockey, finishing with 40 points in 38 games with Reading.
Around this time, Matthew started to transition from playing to coaching. Following a brief stint with Tyringe in Sweden’s Hockeyettan in 2020-21, Matthew started his coaching career the next year as an assistant with the USPHL’s Philadelphia Hockey Club.
Off the ice, the brothers married their respective spouses, Meredith and Madeline. Matthew and Madeline married in July of 2021, while Johnny and Meredith tied the knot in September of that year. In 2022, Johnny and Meredith had their first child together, a daughter named Noa. Less than two years later, the couple welcomed their first son, Johnny Jr.
Shortly after getting married, Johnny had a monumental final season in Calgary. In 2021-22, Johnny finished with career highs in goals (40), assists (75), and points (115) as the Flames won another Pacific Division title. During Calgary’s hard-fought seven-game duel with the Dallas Stars, Johnny had eight points in the series, elevating the Flames to round two with the series-winning goal.
The second round was a crucial one, as Calgary faced its provincial rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, in the teams’ first postseason meeting since 1991. In the Flames’ five-game defeat, Johnny once again led his team in scoring with six points.
After the season, Johnny did not re-sign with Calgary, instead opting to go to the Columbus Blue Jackets. During the 2022-23 campaign, Johnny led the scoring for a struggling Columbus squad, ending the season with 74 points in 80 games.
While Johnny was starting his Blue Jackets career, Matthew had an eventful year as a coach. In 2022-23, Matthew was an assistant coach for the NAHL’s Philadelphia Rebels before returning to his high school as their next head coach. Matthew spent two seasons as Gloucester Catholic’s head coach, serving in the same post as his father did several years earlier.
In what wound up being his final NHL season, Johnny was Columbus’s leading scorer for a second time, with 60 points in 81 games. During the ensuing off-season, long-time Flames teammate Sean Monahan signed with the Jackets to reunite with Johnny. Instead, Monahan served as a pallbearer at Johnny’s funeral.
Although Johnny Hockey may have boosted to NHL stardom, he never left Matthew’s side. In Meredith’s words, “Everything was always John and Matty. I know John would not be able to live a day without his brother. He loved him so much.”
Madeline echoed Meredith’s sentiments, writing, “It was always Matty & John. I can’t even put into words the bond these two had and right now I don’t have the strength. They were each other’s biggest cheerleaders. Matt looked up to John in so many ways but the most important was the father he was to Noa & Johnny. I find extreme comfort knowing they are together, as they always were. I know they are still messing with each other up there and will continue to look over their families.”
Shortly before Matthew’s tragic passing, he and Madeline announced that their first child, Tripp, was due in December. A little while later, Meredith announced that she was expecting her and Johnny’s third child together.
On a more serious note, there is no excuse for driving while drunk; you are only hurting yourself and those around you. Call a friend, order an Uber, do whatever you need to do, but do NOT drive if you have been drinking.
Rest in peace, Johnny and Matthew. The hockey community loves you guys.
Images by Union College and Jenn G on Flickr, respectively, via the Wikimedia Commons. Featured image by Patrick Hood.
