NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matt were killed on the eve of their sister’s wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in New Jersey.
New Jersey State police said Johnny, 31, and Matt, 29, were riding bicycles on a road in Oldmans Township when they were struck by a man driving an SUV who attempted to pass two other vehicles. The driver allegedly quickly maneuvered into the right lane to pass vehicles in the left lane, but those vehicles had moved over to make room for the cyclists in the right lane. The pair were struck at about 8 p.m. on Friday, about a half-hour after sunset. They were announced dead at the scene.
Johnny and Matt were back in their home state of New Jersey to serve as groomsmen in their sister’s wedding on Friday, which no longer took place.
Driver Charged With DUI
The driver of the vehicle, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, stayed on the scene after the accident and was eventually charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, two counts of death by automobile, reckless driving, possession of an open container of alcohol and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Higgins told an officer at the scene that he had five or six beers prior to the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving. He also said that his alcohol consumption contributed to his impatience and his decision to attempt to pass the vehicles in the righthand lane. He failed a field sobriety test, but the results of a blood-alcohol test have not yet been made available. He was booked into a Salem County facility and will remain there until his September 5 pretrial hearing.
Johnny Gaudreau, oftentimes referred to as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 seasons in the NHL and was a great player on and off the ice. Gaudreau won the Lady Bing Trophy in 2017, which is an award given to a player with a high level of skill that also exhbited sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct off the ice. He scored 20-plus goals in a season six times and was an All-Star in the 2021-2022 season when he went on to tally 115 points with 40 goals and 75 assists.
“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,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
This is an incredibly sad situation, and one of the reasons why we are always preaching that you need to plan a safe way home before you start drinking. We cannot imagine what the Gaudreau’s are going through right now, and they should never have been in this position in the first place if the driver had made better choices. Please, please, please do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking. It’s just not worth it. Many lives, families and communities have been forever changed as a result of one poor decision.
We are here to help in the event that you need legal assistance, but we’d much prefer everyone work to make smart decisions and stay out of trouble. We’ll keep the Gaudreau’s in our thoughts and prayers.
