By Albert J. Countryman Jr./Staff
Youngsters Johnny and Matty Gaudreau liked nothing more than loading up the family car with their skates and hockey sticks for a trip to the Hollydell Ice Arena in Washington Township, where their dad Guy taught them to play ice hockey.
Those lessons paid off: “Johnny Hockey” went on to be a seven-time NHL All Star and most recently played with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matty played in the American Hockey League before returning to coach the Philadelphia Rebels at Hollydell and the ice hockey team at Gloucester Catholic High School, the siblings’ alma mater.
That’s why news of their deaths on Aug. 29 after they were struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding bikes near the Gaudreaus’ Salem County home was heartbreaking for more than one family. Also grieving are the Hollydell family, the Gloucester Catholic family and the NHL family.
South Jersey residents and sports fans in the U.S. and Canada are also mourning. On Sept. 6, Gloucester Catholic held a night of remembrance in the high school’s gym to honor John, 31, and Matthew, 29.
With a crowd of more than a thousand people expected from the tri-state area, extra parking was available at Freedom Pier on King Street, and mourners walked up to the school on Cumberland Street. The brothers’ were laid to rest Monday, a funeral livestreamed across North America.
“The Hollydell Ice Arena and the Philadelphia Rebels are overwhelmed by the unimaginable loss of Matthew Gaudreau and his brother John,” said Tom Bunting, director of hockey operations at the Sewell facility. “The depth of our sadness can’t be put into words. Matty and Johnny grew up at the arena, where they learned the game from their father Guy.
“Off the ice, everyone in the Hollydell family will miss Matty’s warm smile and personality,” Bunting added. “He was a friend to everyone he encountered, and his loss will leave a hole in our community. As the best of local success stories, Matty and Johnny have motivated countless young hockey players in the South Jersey community.
“While our collective grief will linger for some time, we will continue to celebrate Matty and Johnny at Hollydell Arena.”
The Rebels will honor the brothers at the arena Friday during a 7:30 game. Washington Township officials also released a message on social media.
“Our hearts break for the Gaudreau family as we mourn the tragic loss of Johnny and Matthew,” the post said. “The Gaudreau family has been a cherished part of our community for many years, spending countless hours at Hollydell Ice Arena. Their presence touched the lives of so many here in Washington Township, and this loss is felt deeply by all who knew them.
” …Together, we will keep Johnny and Matthew’s memories alive in our hearts.”
The legend of “Johnny Hockey,” a seven-time NHL All Star, took root at Gloucester Catholic, where he and Matt played for their father. Gus Guadreau was instrumental in bringing an ice hockey program to the school and was its first coach.
In his final two years playing for the Rams, Johnny scored 51 goals, and in 2010, helped the school win a NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship. Matthew was also a star there, and both brothers played ice hockey at Boston College.
“The Gloucester Catholic High School family is devastated by the sudden and unspeakable losses of beloved alumni Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau,” Principal Thomas Iacovone Jr. noted. “Along with their incredible talents on the ice, they will be remembered even more by our Gloucester Catholic High Schoo family as loving sons, brothers, fathers, friends and role models.
“Johnny and Matt have been a source of great pride in Gloucester Catholic’s close-knit community, and they will be missed by everyone who knew them.”
The brothers were killed the night before they were to be groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding at St. Mary’s Church in Gloucester City. Surviving them are John’s wife Meredith; his children, Noa and Johnny; Matthew’s wife Madeline; their parents Guy and Jane; and another sister, Kristen. Madeline is expecting her first child and Meredith will have to raise their children without a father.
“Johnny and Matt truly loved Gloucester Catholic,” Iacovone stressed, “and the entire Gaudreau family have been loyal and dedicated supporters of Gloucester Catholic.”
While at Boston College, Johnny continued to hone his hockey skills and helped his team win the NCAA Ice Hockey Championship in 2012. One on the best players in college hockey, he was drafted by the Calgary Flames, where he played nine seasons before joining the Blue Jackets. That team released the following statement:
“He thrilled fans in a way only ‘Johnny Hockey’ could,” it read. “The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him. Johnny embraced our community when he arrived two years ago, and Columbus welcomed him with open arms.”
The loss of the Gaudreau brothers is all the more unbearable because it was preventable. The driver who struck them from behind at about 8:20 p.m. on the night of their deaths – 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of Woodstown – told police he had had several beers. He struck the brothers in his Jeep Cherokee while recklessly trying to pass an SUV on his right.
Higgins is a major in the U.S. Army and the New Jersey Army National Guard who worked as a financial officer for a substance abuse treatment network. He now faces two charges of death by auto and appeared at a Zoom pre-trial hearing in Salem County Superior Court last Thursday.
His next court date is expected to be Sept. 13.
