MEDIA, Pa. (AP) — John and Matthew Gaudreau are being mourned by family, friends and countless members of the hockey community at the funeral Monday in a Philadelphia suburb for the brothers who died when they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey.
Buses brought players and others to St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania, and a crowd of hundreds walked in for the service, including several children wearing Gaudreau No. 13 jerseys worn by the player known to fans as “Johnny Hockey.” Columbus Blue Jackets teammate Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and longtime executive Brian Burke were among those in attendance.
“It just shows the true honor and respect that everybody gave them. Just can’t imagine what they’re going through," said Caufield, who will wear No. 13 in honor of John Gaudreau. "Just the amount of people that are here today and yesterday, just anything we can do to help.”
John, an All-Star for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew, who played collegiate hockey alongside his brother at Boston College, died on the eve of their sister’s wedding.
The Rev. Tony Penna, the director of campus ministry at Boston College, where the brothers played hockey together a decade ago, asked those inside the church to look around at how many people made the trip to pay their respects, calling it a source of comfort for parents Guy and Jane.
“By the overwhelming presence and overwhelming number of people here today, they’re sending a message to you loud and clear that John and Matthew’s lives mattered, that they were noticed on this earth, they were loved on this earth and they were valued on this earth,” Penna said. "This robust crowd wants you to know that they’re here to tell you, all of you, that they love you, too, and they have your back and they’re here to support you in our loss.”
The Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township at about 8 p.m. on Aug. 29 when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind, according to New Jersey State Police. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, who faces two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, has been jailed pending a Sept. 13 hearing.
“We’re here for a short time — sometimes too short a time," Penna said. “We’ve been robbed of something here today — two really wonderful young men who had dreams yet to chase down, who had futures yet to live, who had goals and accomplishments yet to be achieved. How can we not feel bad today?"
They have been mourned across the sports world, including in Columbus, Ohio, where Gaudreau signed a free-agent deal in 2022 with the small-market Blue Jackets over more lucrative free-agent offers from other teams, including the New Jersey Devils. Fans and Blue Jackets players gathered last week for an emotional candlelight vigil, and a similar gathering was held in Calgary.
“The way they carried themselves around campus and the enjoyment that they had each and every day around the guys, they were really fun to be around,” BC associate coach Mike Ayers said. “They were both very, very talented hockey players, but they were great people to be around and made everything around them fun.”
A GoFundMe for Matthew’s widow, Madeline, to support her and their baby due in December, has surpassed $645,000, with donations from nearly 9,000 people pouring in, many from NHL players and their families.
“He didn’t make the millions that Johnny did and doesn’t have the pension from the Players’ Association,” said Michael Myers of the ECHL’s Worcester Railers, for whom Matthew played two seasons. “It’s important that the hockey community recognizes that and embraces that to help Matthew’s family.”
The brothers have been celebrated on various social media platforms since their deaths. Katie Gaudreau, the little sister who was supposed to get married the day after the brothers were killed, posted pictures of her family in happier times on social media.
Over the weekend, it was an Instagram video captioned “Birds for the Gaudreau boys" over a clip of John Gaudreau opening his winter coat to flash an Eagles jersey as he went through security ahead of an NHL game. She also posted a tribute to a family slideshow called “That day” where she wrote how she would “do anything to tell my big brothers I love them one more time.”
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Whyno reported from Washington.
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