Hockey brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau will be laid to rest at a church in suburban Philadelphia on Monday — as the alleged drunk driver accused of killing them awaits his next court appearance.
The Gaudreau brothers’ memorial service will take place at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania, just over a week after their tragic deaths.
The funeral service is for family and friends only, but the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets, for whom Johnny Gaudreau played, said the team will stream the service on its website.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudrau, 31 and 29 respectively, were struck and killed by suspected drunk driver Sean Higgins on Aug. 29 while riding their bikes along a rural roadway in their home state of New Jersey.
They planned to serve as groomsmen at their sister’s wedding the following day. The wedding was abruptly canceled by the grieving families.
Higgins, 43, appeared virtually at his first pretrial hearing in New Jersey on Thursday. But just a few seconds in, the judge postponed the hearing that will determine Higgins’ pretrial conditions until Sept. 13 to allow his attorneys more time to prepare.
He notably appeared without the suicide vest he was wearing during his initial virtual appearance on Aug. 30.
Higgins faces two charges of death by automobile along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
The Gaudreau brothers grew up in Carneys Point Township in southern New Jersey, where they played hockey at Gloucester Catholic High School before going on to play for Boston College.
Johnny, known around the NHL as “Johnny Hockey,” was a beloved member of the Columbus Blue Jackets and his brother served as coach of the Gloucester Catholic hockey team after playing several years in the pros when they were killed.
Tributes to the two men poured in from across North America.
Fans along with current and former NHL players honored the brothers in candlelight vigils in Columbus, Ohio, and Calgary, Alberta, on Wednesday night.
Outside of the Blue Jackets’ arena in downtown Columbus, there was a 13-minute, 21-second silent remembrance where a slideshow played of photos showing the siblings’ most joyous moments from childhood through their adult lives. The time represented each of the brother’s hockey numbers.
In New Jersey, mourning fans erected hockey stick memorials along the side of the road.
Other similar “sticks out” were put up on families’ homes across the US and Canada.
“As we embark on the journey of laying John and Matty to rest, we are greatly comforted by all those who have visited these growing memorials and who have left messages of love, prayers, thoughts of kindness as well as jerseys, skates, sticks, pucks, flowers, candles and so many other tokens of remembrance,” the Gaudreau family said in a statement released this week.
Obituaries published Thursday directed contributions to the John & Matthew Gaudreau Foundation, care of Gross at Sports Professional Management in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
“This will never be a goodbye post because I will never stop saying your names and honoring you both,” the bride-to-be, Katie Gaudreau, said in a heartbreaking social media post. I’ll take the best care of mom, dad, Kristen, Mer, and Madeline, your babies.”
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