Johnny Gaudreau's mother Jane pens emotional message on International Bereaved Mother's Day in memory of late sons Johnny and Matthew

Modified May 05, 2025 15:42 GMT

Late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died in a tragic road accident last year in August. Since then, the Gaudreau family has been paying special tribute to the memory of their loved ones.

On Sunday, Johnny Gaudreau’s mother, Jane, shared a poster in memory of her late sons on her Instagram story, remembering them on International Bereaved Mothers' Day.

In the caption, she wrote:

“Missing you both every single minute of every single day,” followed by two red hearts.

International Bereaved Mothers’ Day is observed on the first Sunday of May. The day is to commemorate mothers who have lost a child, originally started in 2010 by Carly Marie Dudley after losing her stillborn son.

“International Bereaved Mother’s Day. Sunday, May 4, 2025. Today we remember our children who are gone from this world, but not from our hearts. Today I say, ‘I am a Mother to an Angel. My Child is in Heaven,’” read the original poster Jane Gaudreau shared on her story.

Johnny and Matthew were hit by a truck driven by an allegedly drunk driver while the brothers were biking in New Jersey the evening before their sister Katie’s wedding. The driver, Sean Higgins, was charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide.

In January this year, Higgins rejected a 35-year plea deal and could face up to 70 years in prison if proven guilty. The next court hearing is scheduled for June 10.

Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith "brought to tears" by "Johnny Hockey" chants

Earlier this week, Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith Gaudreau, reacted to a touching fan tribute by Columbus Blue Jackets fans honoring her late husband. A fan account posted a video on Instagram showing a special moment from April 17, when CBJ fans at Nationwide Arena loudly chanted “Johnny Hockey” during the team’s final game of the season.

Meredith saw the clip and reshared it on her Instagram story. In the caption, she mentioned that it brought tears to her eyes:

“Just seeing this. Brought tears to my eyes that night.”

Since the death of the Gaudreau brothers, the hockey community and the Columbus Blue Jackets have paid many tributes in their memory throughout the 2024-25 season. The Blue Jackets wore helmet stickers with Johnny’s name and number, and all players had a patch with his No. 13 on their jerseys.

At the season opener, a tribute video was played on the jumbotron, a memorial display was set up and a banner with his number was raised to the rafters. In March, during the Stadium Series game against the Red Wings, both teams wore special Gaudreau-themed gear and played another tribute video while the Gaudreau family was in attendance.

About the author

Anjum is an NHL reporter at Sportskeeda with over five years of professional experience in the spectator sports industry. Raised in Bahrain, Anjum grew up close to the Formula 1 and GP2 scene, but it was ice-sports that she truly had a chance to play at school.

Anjum prioritizes thorough research, fact-checking and verification of sources when reporting, and has worked for Oil on Whyte, Leafs Herald, the Nation of Blaugrana, Barca International Cules, FromTheBend, Last Word On Sports and NASA.

She got interested in ice hockey after watching the “MVP” trilogy as a second grader and has not gotten over the sport yet. Her favorite player is Alex Ovechkin, whose legendary one-timers live rent free in her heart. The iconic moment when Ovechkin reached 800 career goals with a hat trick in Chicago as the away crowd chanted “Ovi, Ovi” is probably her happiest memory from an ice-rink.

When not enjoying the game, Anjum can be found sailing, star-mapping or collaborating with fellow citizen scientists at NASA.

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