Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s would-be brother-in-law penned a heartfelt tribute vowing “to take the absolute best care” of their little sister after the Columbus Blue Jackets star and his brother were killed by an alleged drunk driver the night before his wedding to their younger sibling.
“They say when you find the one, you’re not just marrying them but their family too. I know I never said it but I loved you guys so much,” Devin Joyce wrote on Instagram Tuesday after he and fiancée Katie Gaudreau canceled their nuptials on Friday, Aug. 30.
“I’m so lucky to have called you two my brothers for as long as I did. There is not a second that will go by I will not look at Katie and see both of you,” Joyce wrote alongside photos of the family.
“I promise to take the absolute best care of your little sister and I know when the day comes you will be with us on that day.”
Joyce, also a hockey player, and Katie Gaudreau were set to be married on Friday in Gloucester City, NJ, but the celebration was canceled with a day’s notice following the shocking deaths of her brothers.
Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while bicycling in Salem County, NJ.
Their heartbroken sister also penned her own tribute on Instagram to her two siblings, writing, “To know these two was to love these two. There are absolutely no words I have to express the bond my family shared.”
“The entire world knows there would never have been a John without Matty or Matty without John. The absolute best big brothers a little girl could have asked for,” she wrote.
“This will never be a goodbye post because I will never stop saying your names and honoring you both. I’ll take the best care of mom, dad, Kristen, Mer, and Madeline, your babies.”
The brothers were going to be groomsmen while their other sister, Kristen Venello, was going to be maid of honor in the ceremony.
Sean Higgins, 43, of Woodstown, NJ, suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol, was arrested and charged with two counts of death by auto.
Police said Higgins had tried to pass two slow-moving vehicles and hit the brothers from behind while they were riding their bikes.
Johnny leaves behind his wife, Meredith, and their children, Noa, almost 2, and Johnny, 6 months.
Matthew’s wife, Madeline Gaudreau, is pregnant with the couple’s first child, “Baby Tripp,” due this December, her sister wrote in a GoFundMe post.
Johnny played with the Calgary Flames for nine seasons before he signed a seven-year deal with the Blue Jackets in July 2022.
Matthew was also a hockey player, having most recently played for the Worcester Railers.
