Katie Gaudreau lost her two older brothers — professional hockey players Johnny and Matthew — one day before she was set to be married in New Jersey last week. The heartbroken bride-to-be took to social media on Monday to remember her fallen family members.
The two brothers were biking on Thursday in New Jersey when they were fatally hit by a car, authorities said. They were in town for Katie’s wedding, which was scheduled for Friday.
“To know these two was to love these two. There are absolutely no words I have to express the bond my family shared,” Katie Gaudreau wrote on Instagram. “The entire world knows there would never have been a John without Matty or Matty without John. The absolute best big brothers a little girl could have asked for.”
Johnny Gaudreau carved out a career as an NHL star as a winger for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, while younger brother Matthew played professionally in the ECHL and AHL.
Katie Gaudreau postponed her wedding to mourn her brothers.
“This will never be a goodbye post because I will never stop saying your names and honoring you both,” she wrote on Monday. “I’ll take the best care of mom, dad, Kristen, Mer, Madeline, and your babies.”
Matthew Gaudreau’s wife, Madeline, said she is pregnant with the couple’s first child. A GoFundMe to support the widow and her unborn son has raised more than $500,000.
“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,” Madeline Gaudreau wrote on Instagram. “Matt looked up to John in so many ways, but the most important was the father he was.”
Police officials said Sean Higgins of New Jersey, the driver accused of hitting the Gaudreau brothers, drank alcohol before the crash. He is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of driving while under the influence of alcohol.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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