Blue Jackets F Gaudreau dead at age 31

NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, who starred over eight seasons with the Calgary Flames before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets, was killed Thursday night when he was hit by a car while riding a bicycle in his home state of New Jersey. He was 31.

New Jersey State Police said Gaudreau was one of two cyclists struck and killed by a car in Salem County, New Jersey. Gaudreau's younger brother, Matthew, 29, was the other victim in the crash, police confirmed.

The Carneys Point, New Jersey, natives were in the area for their sister Katie's wedding scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.

According to police, the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road when a man driving in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the driver, Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto and jailed at the Salem County Correctional Facility.

"It’s with great sadness, we mourn the tragic deaths of our friend Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau," the Flames said in a statement.

"Our hearts are broken by this devastating loss. Johnny was and always will be a member of the Flames family and loved by all of Calgary."

Remembering Johnny Hockey 

Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 11 professional seasons in the league and was going into his third with the Blue Jackets.

Gaudreau was selected by Calgary in the fourth round 104th overall, at the 2011 NHL draft

He went on to become the face of the Flames, scoring 210 goals and adding 399 assists in 602 regular-season games over eight seasons in Calgary.

He left the Flames in free agency after the 2021-22 season, citing a desire to be closer to home, and signed a seven-year contract worth US$68.25 million deal with Columbus.

"Completely gutted. The world just lost one of the best," Flames forward Blake Coleman posted on the social media site X. "RIP Johnny."

In a 2022 article in The Players' Tribune, Gaudreau called leaving Calgary "the toughest decision I've ever had to make."

"I still thought about going back and trying to work on a seven-year deal to stay," he wrote. "It was all on the table for the entire process.

"Maybe that seems messy … but life is messy, you know?"

Former Flames general manager Brad Treliving said Friday he was "absolutely devastated by the news."

"John was a truly special player, dazzling on the ice with his incredible talent, but what made him truly special was the person he was off the ice," Treliving wrote in a statement released by the Toronto Maple Leafs. "His thousand-watt smile and infectious personality were matched only by his love for his family, friends, and those close to him. He brought joy to everyone around him and to the many who never knew him but marveled at his excellence on the ice. John was a beloved teammate and a friend to so many in the hockey community, and he will be deeply missed by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.

"My heart goes out to the entire Gaudreau family-to his mom and dad, Jane and Guy; his sisters, Kristen and Katie; his loving wife, Meredith; his precious children, Noa and Johnny; and everyone affected by this unimaginable loss.

"Family was everything to John, and in his memory, please hug those close to you tighter and longer today and every day."

Gaudreau, at five-foot-nine and 180 pounds, was part of a generation of hockey players who thrived in an era of speed and skill that made being undersized less of a disadvantage. He scored 20-plus goals six times and was a 115-point player in 2021-22 as a first-time NHL All-Star when he had a career-best 40 goals and 75 assists.

“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

"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."

'One of the greatest' Boston College players

Before joining the Flames, Gaudreau helped Boston College win the NCAA championship in 2012 and in 2014 took home the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the country.

"The entire BC community is stunned by the tragic news. Johnny Gaudreau was not only one of the greatest @BC_MHockey players but also one of the nicest," the school posted on X. "Matthew was a gifted player and beloved by teammates. Our prayers are with the Gaudreau family at this time of unimaginable loss."

As a professional, Gaudreau finished was part of the NHL all-rookie team during his first season in the league and was third in voting for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2014-15.

Gaudreau was a point-a-game player with 642 points in 644 regular-season and playoff games since breaking into the league.

He holds the men’s world championship records by a U.S. player with 30 assists and 43 points, earlier this year breaking marks previously held by Patrick Kane. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the World Juniors in 2013 and won bronze at the world hockey championship in 2018, one of his five career appearances at the tournament.

Gaudreau’s death is the latest off-ice tragedy to strike the organization in the past few years. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 when he was struck in the chest by a firework while attending the wedding of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace’s daughter in Michigan.