Johnny Gaudreau’s teammate weeps as late NHL star and brother are honored after being killed by drunk driver
The Flames welcomed the Columbus Blue Jackets in Calgary, where hockey quickly became an afterthought as both teams honored Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau four months after the brothers were killed by a drunk driver.
A former teammate of Johnny’s, Columbus’ Sean Monahan, was seen weeping during a ceremonial puck drop before Tuesday’s game at the Scotiabank Saddledome, where players on both sides struggled to contain their emotions.
The brothers’ family was also on hand for the ceremony, where Johnny’s widow Meredith was seen holding one of their two children. She revealed in September that she’s pregnant with their third.
‘It’s been really nice,’ a tearful Meredith told Sportsnet prior to Tuesday’s game, which Calgary won, 3-0. ‘I really wanted everyone to see the kids. Everyone has just been so warm, it feels like you never left when you’re here for a couple days.’
‘Some of the best fans in the world are here in Calgary,’ the brothers’ father, Guy, told Sportsnet prior to the ’13 Forever’ tribute, which is a nod to Johnny’s jersey number.
Tuesday marked the second time in the last two weeks the two teams squared off, and the first meeting in Calgary, where the forward known as ‘Johnny Hockey’ became a beloved star and teammate for the Flames.
Columbus Blue Jackets’ Sean Monahan, left, and Calgary Flames’ Mikael Backlund join the family of Johnny Gaudreau at center ice prior to Tuesday’s game. Monahan (left) is seen crying
Many spectators couldn’t help but notice that Sean Monahan was overcome with emotion
Johnny (right) and Matthew (left) are seen with their sister, Katie, who postponed her wedding following their deaths. Katie was also on hand Tuesday in Calgary for the ceremony
He played 10 full seasons in the NHL and was set to start his third with the Blue Jackets when he and Matthew were killed while cycling in their native New Jersey on the eve of their sister’s wedding. The two had previously played together at Boston College
The driver charged with killing Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau as they were cycling on a rural New Jersey road briefly appeared in court last month, where the judge extended the window for prosecutors to seek an indictment.
The brief hearing, in which the judge granted prosecutors 30 additional days in which to seek formal charges in the Gaudreaus’ August 29 deaths, marked the first time the Gaudreau family and the 44-year-old defendant, Sean M. Higgins, faced one another in court. Previously, Higgins appeared at hearings via video from behind bars.
Authorities say Higgins, who is from Woodstown, in southwestern New Jersey, was impaired after he drank five or six beers on the day he drove into the brothers’ bicycles, and that he has a history of road rage and aggressive driving.
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were killed near their childhood home in South Jersey on the eve of their sister’s wedding. The family, including their father, Guy Gaudreau, declined to comment on the case Tuesday at the Salem County Courthouse.
Brothers Johnny Gaudreau (right) and Matthew Gaudreau (left) after a 2014 Beanpot victory
The family of Johnny Gaudreau gather at centrer ice prior before an NHL hockey game between with Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets in Calgary
Mikael Backlund hugs former teammate and now member of the Blue Jackets Sean Monahan
The Gaudreau family look on from the bench during a tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau
Sean Higgins, 43, was charged with two counts of death by auto as well as reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle
Higgins told police that on the day of his arrest, he had been driving around for two hours while talking to a friend on the phone after having an upsetting conversation with his mother.
A driver who was in front of Higgins told police that Higgins had been driving aggressively. When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and moved left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreaus, she said.
Higgins had a blood-alcohol level of .087, which is above the state’s .08 legal limit, and he failed a field sobriety test, police said. He faces preliminary charges of two counts of death by auto, reckless driving, possession of an open container, and consuming alcohol in a vehicle.
Higgins faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of one of the death by auto counts. The judge said that made him a flight risk and ordered him jailed until the trial.
Defense lawyer Matthew Portella has called Higgins ‘a loving father of two daughters,’ and a good person who ‘made a horrible decision that night.’ Portella declined to comment after Tuesday’s hearing.
