Columbus Blue Jackets statement on the passing of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew. pic.twitter.com/V2aFykgKIs

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 30, 2024

Boasting about how incredible of a player and person Johnny was, their statement divulged, “Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend.”They go on to highlight how joyful Johnny would be in every game he played—a joy that was felt by everybody else who got to see the late star play. Johnny always brought his A-game and passion for the sport everywhere he went. His hockey career took him from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets, where he served as the team’s winger.”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,” mentioned the Columbus Blue Jackets in their statement.

The grieving team went on to reiterate how much the superstar athlete is missed by them and their community and ended their message by asking the public to pray for the Gaudreau family, who are dealing with an unimaginable loss.The Columbus Blue Jackets also asked that the bereaved family’s privacy be respected. In the same way that Johnny’s hockey team shared a statement about his passing, the Commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman, shared some words about the tragedy as well.He penned a lengthy message on the official Public Relations website page of the NHL that spotlighted the incredible legacy Johnny has left behind as one of the League’s “brightest young stars” during his impressive 11 seasons in the NHL.”We send our most [heartfelt] condolences to his wife Meredith; their children, Noa and Johnny; his parents, Guy and Jane; and sisters Kristen and Katie,” wrote Gary at the end of his statement.The devastating news of Johnny and Matthew’s passing comes after numerous reports had first announced that the accident had taken place. However, at the time, the two victims had not been identified as Johnny and Matthew yet.A report from 6abc Action News discussed the scenario and divulged that the New Jersey State Police disclosed that the person who had been driving the vehicle that struck Johnny and Matthew had stayed on the scene after the accident. Authorities also shared that they believed the driver to be under the influence.X was also ablaze with announcements about the accident. A woman named Elaine Shircliff posted, “Spoke with the New Jersey State Police and was informed they are getting bombarded with phone calls and cannot release any information at this time.” She added that they could not confirm or deny the rumors that it was indeed Johnny and his brother who were the two victims.However, on the same day Elaine tweeted her message, another X user named Steve Franklin shared an update of his own. In Steve’s update, he said that his brother, who is a police officer in Salem County, New Jersey, confirmed to him that it was the late NHL star and his brother who died.After this tweet, Tim Peel, a retired NHL referee, took to X to say, “Reports are that Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a drunk driver [tonight]. Please pray that this is not true!”