MEDIA, Pa. (AP) — She eulogized John Gaudreau through tears that would not be held back, her stories punctuated by sniffles, even an occasional laugh about falling in love with a young man with a mohawk, and the immeasurable heartbreak over a life that ended “way too soon.” Meredith Gaudreau had more to share about her husband than tales of his modest start on ice and rise to NHL stardom — their family of four was soon to become five; she recently revealed to John he would be a father again.
“John and I had the best six months as a family of four,” she said. “These will forever be the best six months of my life."
Meredith Gaudreau announced at the funeral for her husband and his brother, Matthew, both killed when they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles, that she was nine weeks pregnant with the couple’s third child.
She called the pregnancy a blessing, yet the jolt from the disclosure at the Catholic church in the Philadelphia suburbs served as one more heart-wrenching reminder of the joyous futures lost when the brothers were killed in New Jersey on the eve of their younger sister's wedding.
John and Matthew Gaudreau were remembered as loving brothers and husbands who put family above hockey and everything else at a tearful funeral held Monday at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. Matthew’s widow, Madeline, and Meredith each described how the brothers enjoyed an inseparable bond in every aspect of life, from twin-sized beds they used in a shared room in their in Carneys Point, New Jersey, to their playing days together at Boston College to summers spent at family parties at the Jersey Shore.
Side by side — just how their coffins sat in the church.
“God really did draft the best two boys,” Madeline Gaudreau said. “Linemates forever.”
John was 31 and Matthew 29.
“Everything was always John and Matty,” Meredith Gaudreau said. “I know John would not be able to live a day without his brother. He loved him so much.”
Buses brought players and others to the church — other churches in the area offered signs of prayer and support for the Gaudreau family — and a crowd of hundreds walked in for the service, including several children wearing Gaudreau No. 13 jerseys worn by the NHL player known to fans as “Johnny Hockey.” His former Columbus Blue Jackets teammate Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and longtime executive Brian Burke were among scores from the league in attendance.
“It just shows the true honor and respect that everybody gave them. Just can’t imagine what they’re going through," Caufield, who will wear No. 13 in honor of John Gaudreau, said outside the church before the funeral.
Meredith Gaudreau singled out two of John's closest friends, Sean Monahan and Kevin Hayes, in a eulogy that lasted more than 30 minutes.
“You’ve both known John longer than I have, which means you helped shape him into the man I fell in love with," she said. "He looked up to you both on and off the ice. You are his brothers, which means you’re my brothers, too. Thank you for being there with me when you’re experiencing such a great loss, as well.”
Madeline Gaudreau also is pregnant. The couple’s first child, a boy set to be named Tripp, is due in December.
“I’m so thankful God gave us a child, a little Matty to run around for life, to carry on his legacy. Tripp will know how much his father loved him, and I promise to do all the things with him we talked about,” Madeline said.
John, an All-Star for the Calgary Flames and Blue Jackets, and Matthew, who coached the Gloucester Catholic hockey team, a program his father helped found, each played NCAA hockey at Boston College about a decade ago.
The Rev. Tony Penna, the director of campus ministry at BC, asked those inside the church to look around at how many people made the trip to pay their respects, calling it a source of comfort for parents Guy and Jane.
“By the overwhelming presence and overwhelming number of people here today, they’re sending a message to you loud and clear that John and Matthew’s lives mattered, that they were noticed on this earth, they were loved on this earth and they were valued on this earth,” Penna said.
The Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township at about 8 p.m. on Aug. 29 when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind, according to New Jersey State Police. The driver, who faces two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, has been jailed pending a Sept. 13 hearing.
“I urge everyone to never drink and drive," Madeline Gaudreau said. “Call a ride. Please do not put another family through this torture. The loss of Matty and John will leave a hole in the family, with his close friends, the community for eternity.”
Meredith Gaudreau's father, Ed Morris, speaking on behalf of the family, said the only goal moving forward is to attempt to replicate how the Gaudreau brothers lived.
“John and Matty will be so happy if the world learned about how they lived their life and we all improved our lives as a result,” Morris said. "That’s the greatest gift we can give John, Matt and the Gaudreaus, who are in deep pain.”
John and Matthew Gaudreau have been mourned across the sports world, including in Columbus, Ohio, where with the small-market Blue Jackets over more lucrative free-agent offers from other teams.
“He did it to be closer to his family, plain and simple," Meredith Gaudreau said. "He wanted his parents and his siblings to be able to see more games and spend more time with us and our baby on the way.”
The brothers' lives have been celebrated on social media since their deaths. Katie Gaudreau, the little sister the day after the brothers were killed, posted pictures of her family in happier times.
“It brings tears to my eyes to see how much everyone loved and cherished my husband and brother in-law as much as their families do," Madeline Gaudreau said. "This last week has felt like I’m trapped in a nightmare I can’t wake up from. I feel numb, angry, sad, blessed all at once. Some days the thought of this new reality is debilitating, but mostly I just miss Matt.”
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Whyno reported from Washington.
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