The parents of late hockey stars Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau nearly turned down an invite to watch the US men’s team at the Winter Olympics last week 18 months on from their tragic deaths.
Ex-NHL player Johnny, 31, and younger brother Matthew, 29, were killed on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding in August 2024 after being struck by an alleged drunk driver while out riding bicycles near their hometown in New Jersey.
Before that devastating night, Johnny was widely expected to make USA’s 2026 Olympic team and had already started making plans to ramp up his training and secure his place in Italy, Katie revealed in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The American team had his No. 13 jersey hanging in their locker room throughout the tournament, and after their 2-1 overtime win against rivals Canada in Sunday’s gold-medal match, Dylan Larkin and Matthew Tkachuk carried it around the ice.
The Gaudreau family witnessed the tribute live in Milan after being invited to watch both the semifinals and final by USA Hockey, yet Katie admits her parents, Jane and Guy, almost passed up the offer as they felt it would be too difficult emotionally.
The next day, however, she recalled: ‘My mom was like, “I really didn’t sleep. I think John would want us to go. I think we should go.”‘
The parents of late hockey stars Johnny (right) and Matthew (left) Gaudreau nearly turned down an invite to watch the US men’s team at the Winter Olympics
The Gaudreau family were in attendance for USA’s semifinal and final victories last week
Katie also told her mom: ‘”So this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to honor the boys. And keep their legacy alive. And that’s what we do, every day. We wake up and we just want to honor the boys’ legacy.”‘
Jane and Guy, along with Johnny’s widow, Meredith, and their two oldest children, Noa and Johnny Jr., all made the trip to Italy for last week’s semifinal victory over Slovakia.
They then stuck around for the gold-medal showdown with Canada, which USA prevailed in thanks to an overtime winner from Jack Hughes.
And when America’s heroes paraded Johnny’s jersey around the ice, while also inviting Noa and Johnny Jr. on to join the team photo, Katie was in disbelief.
‘I was like, “There’s no way they’re going to do that. There’s no way,”‘ she said. ‘When they did that, I lost it.
‘I’m so proud. I’m so happy that the kids got to experience that, because this is what John wanted. The team did an amazing job.’
The case against the alleged drunk driver charged with killing Johnny and Matthew is still in court 18 months on.
America’s gold-medal winners paraded Johnny’s No. 13 jersey around the ice after the final
Gaudreau’s children, Johnny Jr. and Noa, were also brought onto the ice to join the team photo
Sean Higgins is the alleged drunk driver charged with killing the Gaudreau brothers
Back in November, defendant Sean Higgins lost a major court battle after his attorneys’ attempts to toss his damning statements at the scene of the crash were rejected by a judge.
As previously reported by the New York Post, New Jersey police alleged that a ‘frantic’ Higgins admitted to hitting the pair with his SUV shortly before his arrest. He was later charged with two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter.
Higgins claimed he was attempting to pass a slower car, but the driver moved into the oncoming traffic lane, forcing him back into the original lane, where he then hit the two cyclists.
The defendant previously rejected a 35-year-sentence plea deal and pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter. He faces up to 70 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.
