TRAGEDY: Johnny Gaudreau, Brother Killed in Biking Accident

The NHL and the Columbus Blue Jackets confirmed the tragic news early Friday morning. Former Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed in a biking accident near their hometown of Salem, New Jersey, Thursday night.

According to local media reports, the pair were struck by a vehicle on a rural road. The driver remained on the scene. Police have not released further details.

Update: The driver attempted to pass a slower vehicle which had moved to the middle of the road to pass the Gaudreaus. The offending driver attempted to pass on the right, striking the brothers.

Johnny Gaudreau was 31. His brother Matthew was 29.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the pair were in New Jersey to be groomsmen for their sister Katie’s wedding on Friday. Gaudreau is survived by his wife, Meredith, and two young children: a daughter, Noa, and a son, Johnny, who was born in Columbus.

Gaudreau played nine seasons for the Calgary Flames. He angered many when he left via free agency in 2022 but was an integral part of the Calgary Flames and the city before his departure. In nine seasons, he earned the monicker “Johnny Hockey” and finished in the top five of Hart Trophy voting twice. In 2017, he won the Lady Byng Award.

Gaudreau played 602 games with the Flames and scored 210 goals with 609 points. His career highs were 40 goals and 115 points, both set during his final Flames season in 2021-22.

The Blue Jackets released a statement early Friday morning confirming the news.

Columbus Blue Jackets statement on the passing of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew. pic.twitter.com/V2aFykgKIs

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 30, 2024

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Calgary Hockey Now with the Hockey Now family sends our deepest, heartfelt condolences to the Gaudreau family, the Blue Jackets family, all of the lives he touched in Calgary, and to fans.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also released a lengthy statement:

“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. 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.

“Gaudreau often told the story of how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey and he carried that same youthful passion throughout his 11 NHL seasons. A skilled playmaker, Gaudreau participated in the NHL All-Star Game seven times where he was always a fan favorite, particularly while showcasing his talents in the various skills competitions for which he was so well suited.

“He will be remembered fondly in Calgary, where he played his first nine seasons with the Flames from 2013-14 to 2021-22, emerging as one of our League’s brightest young stars while compiling the franchise’s fifth-highest career points total. His loss also will be felt profoundly in Columbus, the city in which he chose to settle his family and where he was one of the respected, veteran leaders of a club building toward the playoffs. And both Johnny and Matthew will be mourned at Boston College, where they were teammates the year Johnny won the Hobey Baker Award in 2013-14, and at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, where both played and where Matthew was the head hockey coach following his own five-year pro playing career.

“We send our most heart-felt condolences to his wife Meredith; their children, Noa and Johnny; his parents, Guy and Jane; and sisters Kristen and Katie. And we grieve alongside his teammates, members of the Blue Jackets and Flames organizations, his many friends in hockey and countless fans around the world for whom he created indelible memories on and off the ice.”