John and Matthew Gaudreau were remembered as loving brothers and husbands who put family above hockey and everything else at a tearful funeral held Monday, a week and a half after they died when they were while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. John was 31 and Matthew 29.
鈥淓verything was always John and Matty,鈥� said Meredith Gaudreau, John's wife, who revealed she was pregnant with the couple's third child. 鈥淚 know John would not be able to live a day without his brother. He loved him so much.鈥�
Buses brought players and others to St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church and a crowd of hundreds walked in for the service, including several children wearing Gaudreau No. 13 jerseys worn by the NHL player known to fans as 鈥淛ohnny Hockey.鈥� Columbus Blue Jackets teammate Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and longtime executive Brian Burke were among those in attendance.
鈥淚t just shows the true honor and respect that everybody gave them. Just can鈥檛 imagine what they鈥檙e going through," Caufield, who will wear No. 13 in honor of John Gaudreau, said outside the church before the funeral. "Just the amount of people that are here today and yesterday, just anything we can do to help.鈥�
Meredith Gaudreau singled out two of John's closest friends, Sean Monahan and Kevin Hayes, in a eulogy that lasted more than 30 minutes.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e both known John longer than I have, which means you helped shape him into the man I fell in love with," she said. "He looked up to you both on and off the ice. You are his brothers, which means you鈥檙e my brothers, too. Thank you for being there with me when you鈥檙e experiencing such a great loss, as well.鈥�
John, an All-Star for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew, who played NCAA hockey alongside his brother at Boston College a decade ago, died on the eve of their sister鈥檚 wedding.
The Rev. Tony Penna, the director of campus ministry at BC, asked those inside the church to look around at how many people made the trip to the Philadelphia suburbs to pay their respects, calling it a source of comfort for parents Guy and Jane.
鈥淏y the overwhelming presence and overwhelming number of people here today, they鈥檙e sending a message to you loud and clear that John and Matthew鈥檚 lives mattered, that they were noticed on this earth, they were loved on this earth and they were valued on this earth,鈥� Penna said. "This robust crowd wants you to know that they鈥檙e here to tell you, all of you, that they love you, too, and they have your back and they鈥檙e here to support you in our loss.鈥�
The Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township at about 8 p.m. on Aug. 29 when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind, according to New Jersey State Police. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, who faces two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, has been jailed pending a Sept. 13 hearing.
鈥淚 urge everyone to never drink and drive," said Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew鈥檚 wife. 鈥淐all a ride. Please do not put another family through this torture. The loss of Matty and John will leave a hole in the family, with his close friends, the community for eternity.鈥�
A GoFundMe to support Madeline Gaudreau, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, , with donations from nearly 9,000 people pouring in, many from NHL players and their families.
The funeral Mass was full of emotion, with the brothers' caskets sitting side by side in the church, much like their twin-sized beds in their childhood home in Carneys Point, New Jersey. While sharing memories of their husbands, their widows repeatedly mentioned John and Matthew's inseparable bond.
鈥淛ohn took care of Matty, and Matty would take care of John,鈥� Madeline Gaudreau said. "Meredith said it best: You do not hear one name without the other. They were so extremely proud of each other.鈥�
Meredith Gaudreau's father, Ed Morris, speaking on behalf of the family, said the only goal moving forward is to attempt to replicate how the Gaudreau brothers lived.
鈥淛ohn and Matty will be so happy if the world learned about how they lived their life and we all improved our lives as a result,鈥� Morris said afterward. "That鈥檚 the greatest gift we can give John, Matt and the Gaudreaus, who are in deep pain.鈥�
John and Matthew Gaudreau have been mourned across the sports world, including in Columbus, Ohio, where with the small-market Blue Jackets over more lucrative free-agent offers from other teams.
鈥淗e did it to be closer to his family, plain and simple," Meredith Gaudreau said. "He wanted his parents and his siblings to be able to see more games and spend more time with us and our baby on the way.鈥�
Fans and Blue Jackets players gathered last week for , and a similar gathering was held in Calgary, where John Gaudreau played his first eight professional seasons with the Flames.
The brothers' lives have been celebrated on social media since their deaths. Katie Gaudreau, the little sister the day after the brothers were killed, posted pictures of her family in happier times.
"God really did draft the best two boys," Madeline Gaudreau said. "Linemates forever.鈥�