• ESPN News Services

Aug 30, 2024, 07:48 AM ET

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed Thursday when they were struck by a vehicle while riding bicycles, New Jersey State Police said in a release Friday.

Johnny Gaudreau was 31; Matthew was 29.

According to police, a driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee hit two “pedalcyclists,” identified as the Gaudreaus, from behind while trying to pass an SUV on the right that had moved over to make way for the two cyclists. Police, who responded to the scene in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, at 8:19 p.m., said both Gaudreaus suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene some 35 miles south of Philadelphia.

The driver, Sean Higgins, 43, is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and has been charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Higgins told police that he had five or six beers before the crash and had tried to go around the SUV on the right side after thinking the other vehicle was trying to block him from passing. He told police his drinking contributed to “his impatience and reckless driving.” Higgins failed a field sobriety test, according to the affidavit.

Police said the investigation is ongoing.

Higgins was jailed at a Salem County facility and will remain there until his pretrial detention hearing, which is scheduled for Sept. 5. A court spokesperson said Higgins at his first appearance Friday was represented by a public defender but indicated he planned to hire his own attorney. Public defenders in New Jersey do not comment on cases.

Both brothers, who were New Jersey natives, had been in the area to be groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding that was scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.

“We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support, and we appreciated your continued thoughts and prayers,” an uncle, Jim Gaudreau, said in a statement on behalf of the families involved. “We ask for your continued respect and privacy during this very difficult period of grief.”

The Blue Jackets called the Gaudreaus’ deaths an “unimaginable tragedy” in a statement on social media.

“Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice,” the Blue Jackets wrote. “He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him.”

Fans laid flowers and hockey sticks for Gaudreau outside Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus and outside the Flames’ home rink in Calgary. Tributes reverberated near and far, with moments of silence occurring in Cincinnati before a Major League Baseball game between the Reds and Brewers and prior to an Olympic qualifying hockey game between Slovakia and Hungary in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava.

Johnny Gaudreau played in 11 NHL seasons for the Flames and Blue Jackets. He joined Columbus on a seven-year contract starting with the 2022-23 season. He was an All-Star in 2023 and posted 12 goals and 48 assists in 81 games last season.

“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path.”

Matthew Gaudreau also played hockey at Boston College and for various teams in the minor leagues.

Drafted by the Flames in the fourth round in 2011, Johnny Gaudreau attended Boston College, where he earned his “Johnny Hockey” nickname as he helped the Eagles win a national title in 2012. He won two straight Hockey East Player of the Year awards and was the 2014 winner of the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the top men’s college player in the nation.

“Everyone sees how great a player Johnny was, and Matty was a solid player for us too,” former Boston College coach Jerry York said. “… But when you got to know their family, that’s what stands out besides Johnny being an all-world player and Matty being a gritty kid. It’s their family. They impressed us as a family. For the people that got to know them, it’s horrible for these two young kids. They’re young men who were on the precipice of adulthood with their lives in front of them.”

Johnny Gaudreau signed with the Flames and scored a goal in his first and only game of the 2013-14 season. A year later, Gaudreau became one of the league’s brightest rookies as he scored 24 goals and 64 points to help the Flames reach the playoffs. He went on to be a six-time All-Star with the Flames and scored a career-high 40 goals and 115 points in 2021-22.

At 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, Gaudreau was part of a generation of hockey players who thrived in an era of speed and skill that made being undersized less of a disadvantage. He scored 20-plus goals six times and was nearly a point-per-game player with 743 points in 763 regular-season games.

Gaudreau emerged as an NHL prospect during his lone season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2010-11. Led by future Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, the Fighting Saints won the USHL title, the Clark Cup, as the undersized but deftly skilled Gaudreau scored 36 goals and 72 points in 60 games before scoring five goals and 11 points in 11 playoff games.

He represented the U.S. at the 2013 under-20 world junior championships, where he helped the nation win gold, scoring seven goals and nine points in seven games. He would go on to play for Team USA at five world championships and holds the men’s world championship records by a U.S. player with 30 assists and 43 points, earlier this year breaking marks previously held by Patrick Kane.

“Words cannot appropriately express the sorrow the hockey community is feeling,” USA Hockey wrote as a number of NHL players also reacted to Gaudreau’s death on social media.

“I was lucky enough to have Johnny with the Calgary Flames and with USA Hockey, and it cannot be overstated just what a joy it was for everyone involved to have Johnny Gaudreau on their team,” longtime NHL executive Brian Burke said in a statement. “First and foremost, Johnny was always the first to raise his hand to give back to his community. When we had any charity requests, we always knew he would say yes, without hesitation. His love of his family, friends and alma mater was always apparent and was clearly the driving force in his life.”

Former Flames teammate Blake Coleman posted that he was “completely gutted. The world just lost one of the best.”

“I don’t know why I’m even writing right now I’m shaking but Johnny was one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever played with,” retired goaltender Eddie Lack said. “Always happy, always spreading positivity around him. Rest in Peace my friend and prayers for your wonderful family. Hug your loved ones.”

Gaudreau had been married to his wife, Meredith, since 2021, and they have two children under 2: Noa, who was born in September 2022, and Johnny, who was born in February.

Gaudreau’s death is the latest off-ice tragedy to strike the Blue Jackets in the past few years. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 when he was struck in the chest by a firework while attending the wedding of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace’s daughter in Michigan.

ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark and The Associated Press contributed to this report.