Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were laid to rest Monday in the suburbs of Philadelphia, remembered in a tear-filled funeral service for their inseparable bond as brothers, but also for their ceaseless joy for life and a strong love of family.
In a two-hour service at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Media, Pa., the Gaudreau brothers were eulogized by their widows, Meredith and Madeline, inside a sanctuary so full of attendants that folding chairs were brought in for overflow seating.
The packed pews reflected the outpouring of grief and love felt across both the hockey world and the non-sporting world since the brothers were killed when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles on a country road on Aug. 29. Johnny was 31, Matthew was 29.
“There is an unspoken message being given today that is more special than anything I could say to you,” said Father Anthony Penna, the director of campus ministry at Boston College, where the Gaudreaus attended and played hockey.
“The overwhelming presence and overwhelming number of people here today, they’re sending a loud and clear message to you that Johnny and Matthew’s lives mattered. They were noticed on this Earth. They were loved on this Earth, and valued on this Earth. This robust crowd is here to tell you — all of you — that they have your backs.”
In addition to hundreds of family and friends, the Columbus Blue Jackets, for whom Johnny Gaudreau played the past two seasons, filled several pews on the left side of the sanctuary. Also present were several members of his former NHL club, the Calgary Flames.
Current Blue Jackets forward Shawn Monahan, who signed with Columbus as a free agent this summer in part to play with his Johnny, served as a pallbearer, as did current Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Robinson, a childhood friend of the Gaudreaus.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also attended.
Fans in Calgary and Columbus created makeshift memorials to Johnny outside Scotiabank Saddledome and Nationwide Arena. Those rinks were also the sites of evening vigils last week as fans struggled to come to grips with the loss of one of the NHL’s most talented and beloved players.
Matthew had a brief pro career in the minor leagues and had returned home to coach hockey at his high school alma mater, Gloucester Catholic. The brothers played together for one season at Boston College.
“All of us simply have a visa on this Earth; we don’t have a passport,” Penna said. “We’re here for a short time, sometimes too short a time.
“There’s not a person in this church who doesn’t feel a burden, a pain, a loss. We’ve been robbed of something here today — two really wonderful young men, who had dreams to chase down, futures yet to live. They had goals and accomplishments yet to be achieved.”
Meredith Gaudreau, who has two children under the age of 2, revealed during her eulogy that she had recently shared with Johnny that she was pregnant with the couple’s third child.
“I promise to be strong for our children and to take care of them and love them,” Meredith said. “They will know how special their daddy was and they will know how much you loved them, every single day.”
“The way I describe Columbus is similar to the way I describe John. You have to come out and find out for yourself, and then once you know it, you love it”
Meredith Gaudreau with a message to the Fifth Line and Columbus during the eulogy for Johnny Gaudreau: pic.twitter.com/v5IMgHhRLW
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) September 9, 2024
Madeline, Matthew’s widow, is pregnant with the couple’s first child.
“This last week feels like a nightmare that I can’t wake up from,” Madeline said. “I feel numb, angry, sad and blessed all at once. Some days the thought of this new reality is debilitating, but mostly … I just miss Matt.”
Meredith and Madeline spoke of the uncommon bond between Johnny and Matthew, how they were always together and always wanting to be together, even as their careers took them to different places.
“The fact that you’re now together in heaven gives me a little bit of comfort,” Meredith said.
Meredith spoke fondly of Calgary and Columbus. Johnny Gaudreau spent 10 seasons with the Flames before signing as a free agent with the Blue Jackets in 2022.
“I still plan to one day show our kids the city of Calgary and where their daddy experienced the best times of his life, where he made lifelong friends and where he called home for 10 years. He’s forever a Flame,” she said.
“To Columbus and our Blue Jackets family … I can’t describe how shattered I am that I don’t get more time in your amazing city with John. There were so many little signs as we got to know the city that we had made the right decision in choosing Columbus.
“Thank you to the Fifth Line and the Blue Jackets organization. John was so proud to wear your colors every single day. He felt comfortable there. He felt like he fit right in.”
Meredith said she had trouble sleeping one night, recently, and found one of Johnny’s favorite movies, “The Greatest Showman,” playing on TV.
“It says in that movie that the noblest art is making others happy,” Meredith said. “Johnny, you made me the happiest girl in the world.
“It’s really hard to wrap this (eulogy) up because I could go on forever about how much I love you and how special he was. These words still don’t touch my love for you, John, and no words ever will.
“John, my husband, my best friend, and my soulmate … to (our kids’) daddy. You spent your entire life working hard for your family and they were so proud of you every day. Now it’s my turn to make you proud as you watch down on us from heaven. I will do that for you because you deserve that.
“A huge part of me died, but the other part of me will be stronger for our children.”
(Photo of Johnny Gaudreau: Jonathan Kozub / NHLI via Getty Images)
