Johnny Gaudreau's widow Meredith relives brother-in-law Matthew's best man speech at couple's 2021 wedding

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Sep 22, 2024 12:32 GMT

Meredith Gaudreau remembered her late husband, Johnny Gaudreau, and his brother, Matthew, with an Instagram post on Sunday. The brothers died on Aug. 29 in Carneys Point, New Jersey, a day before they were to be groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding. Johnny (31) and Matthew (29) were cycling in the Oldmans Township area when they were hit by a suspected drunk driver.

In her post, Meredith shared a video from her and Johnny’s 2021 wedding, showing Matthew delivering a heartfelt best-man speech. He spoke warmly about their close relationship, noting how they were always together.

“I wanted to start off by saying thank you to my parents and the Morris family for putting together such a beautiful wedding," Matthew says in the video. "John and myself have been inseparable our whole lives. Anytime you saw me, John was right beside. Anytime you saw John, I was following along behind him."

Despite their busy lives in hockey, they always looked out for each other.

"When we got older and we weren't together because of hockey, we still took care of each other. I really had,” Matthew adds.

Meredith captioned the video with a heartfelt message.

“Take care of John for me, Matty 🖤🤍 love & miss you both. Give John a big kiss from me,” she wrote.

Meredith’s post was filled with love and loss, showing how much Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew meant to her and others.

Meredith Gaudreau announced third pregnancy during emotional memorial service for Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew

On Sept. 9, Meredith Gaudreau shared personal news during the memorial service for her husband, Johnny Gaudreau, and his brother Matthew. She announced that she was nine weeks pregnant with their third child, a surprise after welcoming their second baby, Johnny, in February. Meredith described their last six months together as a family of four as the best time of her life.

"John and I had the best six months as a family of four. These will forever be the best six months of my life," Meredith Gaudreau said.

"There's specifically one week that I will cherish forever -- it will be my favorite week of my life out of those six months. We're actually a family of five. I'm in my ninth week of pregnancy with our third baby. John was beaming and so excited. His reaction was just immediately kissing me and hugging me."

Matthew's wife, Madeline, is also expecting their first child. She urged people not to drink and drive, hoping to prevent future tragedies like the one that took her husband and brother-in-law, Johnny Gaudreau.