Hundreds of people attended the funeral of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Johnny Gaudreau’s wife also revealed that she is pregnant. Previously, Matthew Gaudreau’s wife had also told about the same.
21:47•Updated 21:54
Ice hockey players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau has been laid to rest in the grave. The funeral in Philadelphia was attended by family, friends and many hockey fans.
The brothers died in a traffic accident at the end of August. The US Army officer had tried to overtake two slower vehicles with his car and collided with the Gaudreau brothers riding bicycles on the right side of the road. The officer was arrested after the incident. He told the police that he had consumed 5-6 beers on the night of the accident, some of which while in traffic.
Johnny Gaudreau last represented the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL. Patrick Laine was his teammate in the previous two seasons. Laine was present at the funeral, as was the commissioner of the NHL Gary Bettmann. Also Laine’s current teammate and considered Johnny Gaudreau as his role model Cole Caufield arrived at the funeral. Caufield, like Gaudreau, is a short hockey player.
The slightly over 170-centimeter Gaudreau became one of NHL fans’ favorite players. The diminutive player amazed with his playing skills and cunning. He was nicknamed “Johnny Hockey”.
News agency AP reported that hundreds of people attended the funeral. Several children were wearing Gaudreau’s jersey with the number 13.
– That shows how everyone showed honor to him. I can only imagine what they are going through, said Caufield, representing Montreal, according to AP.
Both brothers’ wives are expecting a child
Matthew Gaudreau also played hockey until 2022. He played in the USA in the NCAA college series, the AHL and the ECHL. In addition, Matthew played 17 matches in the third level of Sweden’s HockeyEttan for the Tyring team in the 2020–2021 season.
Matthew’s wife Madeline the couple is expecting a child. According to media reports, his calculated time is on New Year’s Eve. A support campaign has been organized for Madeline. 645,000 US dollars have already been collected for him. There have been almost 9,000 donors. Among them are many NHL players and their families.
– Matthew didn’t get the same millions as Johnny. He had no pension from the players’ association. It is important that the hockey community understands this and supports Matthew’s family, who coached Matthew Gaudreau in the ECHL Michael Myers comment.
A revelation was also heard at the funeral, because Johnnu Gaudreau also Meredith– the wife said in her speech that she was pregnant. She said she was expecting the couple’s third child.
– John and I had the best six months of our lives as a family of four. But above all, this is a week I will always remember. We are actually a family of five. I am nine weeks pregnant. I am expecting our third child. It was a complete surprise, but he was very happy to hear about it, Meredith Gaudreau said.
A decade ago, the brothers also played hockey at the university level, at Boston College. A member of the university management Tony Penna asked those attending the funeral in the church to look around and understand how many people traveled to the place to honor the memory of the Gaudreau brothers.
– This number of people sends a strong and clear message that John and Matthew’s lives mattered. They were noticed, they were loved and appreciated on this earth, Penna described.
Penna also gave a speech to everyone.
– We are here for a little while. Sometimes too little time. Something was stolen from us today. Two wonderful young men who were still chasing their dreams. They still had life ahead of them. Their goals were not yet fulfilled. Achievements were not yet achieved. How can we not feel bad today? Penna described.
Source: AP