2 weeks Ago By Anjum Rajonno
Since the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in late August last year, the Gaudreau family has been paying special tributes to the memory of their loved ones from time to time. On Friday, Johnny Gaudreau’s mother Jane shared an emotional quote on her Instagram stories. She posted a quote-poster from ‘Grieving Moms Forever’ with read”: Jane tagged the Instagram handles of her late sons, Johnny and Matthew, in the story.
Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew died on August 29 last year in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, after being struck by a truck while bicycling. The driver Sean Higgins had a blood alcohol level of 0.087 and admitted to consuming alcohol before and during driving.
He was charged with multiple offences including two counts each of aggravated manslaughter and reckless vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Higgins pleaded not guilty in January this year and rejected a 35-year plea deal . If convicted, he could face up to 70 years in prison.
The defense’s attempt to dismiss charges by citing the brothers’ blood alcohol levels was rejected by Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio, who stated there was no evidence the cyclists were at fault. The next court hearing is scheduled for June 10, 2025. Earlier this week, Jane Gaudreau shared a heartfelt message on X to thank the USHL and Commissioner Glenn Hefferan for creating the Gaudreau Award in honor of her sons, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
On April 12, the first winner of the award was announced as Ethan Wyttenbach from the Sioux Falls Stampede. The award was given in Sioux Falls this week. Johnny’s parents Guy and Jane Gaudreau joined Commissioner Hefferan to surprise Wyttenbach with the honor.
In her tweet, Jane shared several pictures from their trip and wrote: The USHL announced the award in January thai year to remember Johnny and Matthew’s legacy. The award recognizes players who show strong character, dedication and love for the game. Anjum Rajonno Anjum is an NHL reporter at Sportskeeda with over five years of professional experience in the industry.
Having an educational background in Media Studies, she strives to present information in a clear and unbiased manner, so that all perspectives are considered and represented fairly. Anjum prioritizes thorough research, fact-checking and verification of sources when reporting, and has worked for the Nation of Blaugrana, Barca International Cules, FromTheBend, Last Word On Sports and NASA. She got interested in ice hockey after watching the “MVP” trilogy as a second grader and has not gotten over the sport yet.
Her favorite player is Alex Ovechkin, whose legendary one-timers live rent free in her heart. The iconic moment when Ovechkin reached 800 career goals with a hat trick in Chicago as the away crowd chanted “Ovi, Ovi” is probably her happiest memory from an ice-rink. She is a self-taught musician, loves silversmithing and can be found at her workbench if she’s not watching or writing about sports.
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