Johnny Gaudreau

John Michael Gaudreau known as Johnny Gaudreau (August 13, 1993 – August 29, 2024) was an American professional ice hockey winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL).

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Johnny Gaudreau
Johnny Gaudreau with the Calgary Flames in March 2016
Born	August 13, 1993 Salem, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	August 29, 2024 (aged 31) Oldmans Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Calgary Flames Columbus Blue Jackets
National team	United States
NHL draft	104th overall, 2011 Calgary Flames
Playing career	2014–2024

He played college ice hockey for the Division I ranked Boston College Eagles for three seasons beginning in 2011, and was selected in the fourth round, 104th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2011 NHL entry draft. Nicknamed “Johnny Hockey“, he was named the 2014 recipient of the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in the NCAA, and, during his first full NHL season in 2014–15, was selected to play in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, as well as being named to the annual NHL All-Rookie team. Gaudreau was a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist for the NHL’s best rookie, and won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the league’s most gentlemanly player for the 2016–17 season. In 2022, Gaudreau signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he spent two seasons until his death in 2024.

Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by an alleged drunk driver while cycling on August 29, 2024, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.

Johnny Gaudreau was born on August 13, 1993, in Salem, New Jersey, to Guy Gaudreau, a former soccer player and college hockey player and high school coach from Beebe Plain, Vermont, and Jane Gaudreau. He had two sisters and a younger brother, Matthew, who played hockey for the Worcester Railers and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the ECHL and AHL, respectively.

Gaudreau grew up in Carneys Point Township, New Jersey. As a child, he played in the Penns Grove Little League and participated in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Hartford, Connecticut. He attended Gloucester Catholic High School in Gloucester City, New Jersey, and later graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in Dubuque, Iowa.

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
IIHF World Championships
	2018 Denmark
IIHF World Junior Championships
	2013 Russia
Hlinka Gretzky Cup
	2010 Czech Republic/Slovakia

In 2013, Gaudreau was selected to represent the United States in the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He led the tournament with seven goals and tied for the team lead with nine points as the U.S. won the gold medal. Highlighted by a hat-trick in the quarter-finals against the Czech Republic and another two goals against Canada in the semi-finals, he was named to the tournament All-Star Team.

In 2014, Gaudreau was named to the senior United States team that played in the 2014 IIHF World Championship in Minsk, Belarus. He scored his first international goal as a professional in a pre-tournament game against Germany, scoring the second goal in a 3–1 victory. He scored in the first official game of the tournament, the third goal in a 5–1 victory over hosts Belarus. Although the U.S. bowed out of the tournament in a quarter-final loss to the Czech Republic, Gaudreau finished the tournament tenth in scoring, with two goals and eight assists for ten points, including a four-point performance in a 5–4 win over Germany.

In 2016, Gaudreau joined Team North America to play at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, playing alongside other NHL stars from both the United States and Canada who were 23 years old and under at the time. He scored four points in three games, two goals, and two assists.

In 2018, Gaudreau was named to the American squad to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. He scored one goal and eight assists during the tournament en route to a bronze medal for the U.S.

On April 19, 2019, Gaudreau was selected to represent Team USA at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, held in Bratislava and Košice, Slovakia.

Gaudreau married his wife Meredith in September 2021. The couple had two children together: a daughter born in 2022 and a son born in February 2024. On September 9, 2024, Meredith announced she is pregnant with their third child.

Gaudreau’s younger brother Matthew was also a professional hockey player and played on the Reading Royals of the ECHL. He previously played for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League (AHL) and their ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers. Gaudreau and his brother played together at Boston College during the 2013–14 season.

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s parents are Guy and Jane Gaudreau. Guy Gaudreau, a native of Beebe Plain, Vermont, played college hockey at Norwich, after playing high school hockey at North Country Union High School. He was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame. He settled in southern New Jersey and spent 11 years coaching hockey at Gloucester Catholic.

In January 2015, Johnny Gaudreau filed a trademark application for the nickname “Johnny Hockey” in Canada and the U.S. due to concerns that people would abuse his nickname for their own marketing gain.

On the evening of August 29, 2024, Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver while they were cycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. The Gaudreau brothers were both cycling at around 8 p.m. and were hit from the rear by a motorist who was attempting to pass other vehicles on a single-lane rural highway. Police responded to the incident at 8:19 p.m.; both brothers were found dead at the scene by the time the police arrived. The driver was arrested for suspected drunk driving and charged with death by auto, after telling responding officers at the scene that he had consumed “five or six” beers before driving and continued to consume alcohol while operating the car; he failed a breathalyzer test when administered by police, along with failing a field sobriety test. Rumours of the Gaudreaus’ deaths began to circulate online the evening of the collision, but their deaths were not officially announced until the following morning. The brothers had traveled to the township to attend their sister Katie’s wedding, which had been scheduled to take place the following day.

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Several North American sports teams, popular figures, and organizations issued tributes in reaction to his death. All 32 NHL teams issued statements in response to his death, alongside dozens of hockey players, athletes from other sports, and politicians, among them Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canadian Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, and former governor Chris Christie. Makeshift fan memorials also developed outside Nationwide Arena and the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home arenas of the Blue Jackets and Flames respectively, as well as at the scene of the collision and notable local community sites which had a connection to the Gaudreau family. The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Columbus Crew both held moments of silence before their respective games on August 31, 2024. Similarly, the Calgary Stampeders held a 13-second moment of silence prior to their Canadian Football League (CFL) game on September 2.

On September 3, fellow American NHLer and U.S. national teammate Cole Caufield announced that he would be switching his jersey number from 22 to 13 beginning in the 2024–25 season in honor of Gaudreau, citing him as an inspiration early into his hockey career.

Both the Blue Jackets and Flames held candlelight vigils at their respective arenas on September 4; the former saw speeches from multiple players, including Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner, Calgary and Columbus teammate Erik Gudbranson, and Cole Sillinger, with those gathered observing 13 minutes and 21 seconds of silence, in reference to Johnny’s jersey no. 13 and Matthew’s jersey no. 21. The Flames’ vigil involved a similar 13 minutes of silence, marking the beginning of a 13-day observance at the makeshift Saddledome memorial, as well as speeches from Flames captain Mikael Backlund and Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald. On September 9, a funeral service for the Gaudreau brothers was held at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania. Johnny’s former Calgary teammates, Sean Monahan and Andrew Mangiapane, and former Boston College teammate Kevin Hayes, served as his pallbearers.

On September 13, 2024, the driver was ordered to remain in jail.

Career statistics derived from Elite Prospects.

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010	United States	U18			5	2	2	4	0
2013	United States	WJC			7	7	2	9	4
2014	United States	WC	6th		8	2	8	10	2
2016	Team North America	WCH	5th		3	2	2	4	0
2017	United States	WC	5th		8	6	5	11	0
2018	United States	WC			10	1	8	9	12
2019	United States	WC	7th		6	1	1	2	2
2024	United States	WC	5th		8	3	8	11	0
Junior totals					12	9	4	13	4
Senior totals					43	15	32	47	16