NHL star Johnny Gaudreau's sister Katie has canceled her wedding. The Blue Jackets player and their brother Matthew died on Thursday. Authorities suspect that a drunk driver struck and hit the pair while they were biking.
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Katie Gaudreau and her fiancé, Devin Joyce, chose to cancel their wedding. They were supposed to get married the Parish of St. Mary in Gloucester City, NJ. Both of Katie's brothers were meant to serve as groomsmen. Given the tragedy, the wedding just didn't feel right.
Gaudreau's team confirmed his passing in a devastating statement.
"The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy. Johnny was not only a great hockey player. But more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend," their statement read. "We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife, Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, their family and friends on the sudden loss of Johnny and Matthew."
Gaudreau had a long career in the NHL. He played for nine years for the Calgary Flames. In 2022, he transferred to the Blue Jackets. The NHL star drew numerous fans.
Johnny Gaudreau Mourned
"Johnny played the game with great joy. Which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice. He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound. But pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him," the Blue Jackets' statement said.
They wrote, "Johnny embraced our community when he arrived two years ago, and Columbus welcomed him with open arms. We will miss him terribly and do everything that we can to support his family and each other through this tragedy. At this time, we ask for prayers for the Gaudreau family and that their privacy be respected as they grieve."
Meanwhile, the NHL also mourned his passing in a statement.
They wrote, "He will be remembered fondly in Calgary. Where he played his first nine seasons with the Flames from 2013-14 to 2021-22. Emerging as one of our League's brightest young stars while compiling the franchise's fifth-highest career points total. His loss also will be felt profoundly in Columbus, the city in which he chose to settle his family and where he was one of the respected, veteran leaders of a club building toward the playoffs. And both Johnny and Matthew will be mourned at Boston College, where they were teammates the year Johnny won the Hobey Baker Award in 2013-14, and at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, where both played and where Matthew was the head hockey coach following his own five-year pro playing career."
