Aug. 31 (UPI) — Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, honored her late husband on Saturday with a social media post in which she says, “You were perfect.”
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, along with his 29-year-old brother, Matthew, died after being struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes in Salem County, N.J., on Thursday.
Their deaths shocked the hockey world, eliciting outpourings of grief from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi, NHL Players Association executive director Marty Walsh, former N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, NBA superstar LeBron James and many others.
On Saturday, Meredith Gaudreau made her first comments about her husband’s tragic death in a moving post on Instagram, included a family photo of her, Gaudreau, daughter Noa and son Johnny together celebrating the hockey star’s 31st birthday earlier this month.
“Thank you for the best years of my life,” she wrote. “Despite losing you, I am still the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours. I love you so so much. You were perfect. Some days it felt too good to be true. I love every single thing about you. You are my forever and I can’t wait to be with you again. I love you so much forever and ever.”
New Jersey police said the driver of that vehicle, 43-year-old Sean Higgins, was “suspected of being under the influence of alcohol” and has been charged with two counts of death by auto as a result of the incident. He was booked into the Salem County Correctional Facility.
Affectionately known as “Johnny Hockey,” Gaudreau, a 2021-22 All-Star, was a fourth-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the 2011 NHL Draft. The former Boston College star spent nine seasons with the Flames. He totaled career-highs in goals (40) and assists (75) in his final season with the Flames.
He signed with the Blue Jackets as a free agent in 2022. Gaudreau appeared in 161 games over his last two seasons with the Blue Jackets. He totaled 33 goals and 101 assists over that span.
