Quick Hits: August 30, 2024
1) I went to bed early last and woke up this morning around 3 a.m. CDT. I saw that I had a missed phone call from a friend last night around 10:15 p.m., as well as a text from him. I wasn't prepared for what it said: Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were killed by a drunk driver a couple of hours ago while out on a bike ride." He asked me not to write about it, as it was not yet public information.
I lack the words to describe what a sickening feeling it was to read such information. My friend is someone I trust implicitly. He wouldn't pass such a thing along to me if he wasn't 100 percent positive it was true.
However, I was hoping against hope that it wasn't true. It wasn't like my friend had personally witnessed the horrific scene. Maybe it was some horrible info that someone he views as trustworthy had passed along to him, but would prove to be erroneous. It was still too early in the morning to contact a source for definitive confirmation.
With each passing hour, and no official confirmation or statement of denial came forth yet, the sense of dread grew. It was inevitable that, very shortly, there'd be the confirmation that no one wanted to hear. At 6:39 a.m., the horrific report was confirmed by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
No matter the identity of the victims, this would be a nightmarish tragedy. The family went from the joy of getting ready to celebrate the wedding of Katie Gaudreau's impending wedding to hockey player Devin Joyce in Gloucester City, NJ, to the most devastating grief imaginable. Johnny and Matthew, Katie's brothers, were slated to be groomsmen at the wedding.
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, leaves behind wife Meredith and two very young children, Noa (not even two years old yet) and six-month-old baby Johnny. Matthew is survived by wife Madeine.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean Higgins, is in police custody. It has been confirmed that this is being treated as a vehicular death caused by a driver under the influence of alcohol. According to multiple reports, Higgins was driving on County Route 551 in Salem shortly after 8 p.m. EDT with dusk giving way to the darkness of night. Reportedly, he attempted the serve around an SUV and plowed directly into Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on the other side of the road.
I think, whenever there's an unspeakable tragedy of this nature, there's an initial numbness once the awful news is confirmed. That soon gives way to a flood of thoughts and emotions. One tends to personalize these things.
I only ever had one direct dealing with Johnny Gaudreau. It was a very brief interview tied to promoting the 2018 edition of the Checking for Charity event. The Gaudreaus, especially Johnny, are like hockey royalty in the Delaware Valley. It didn't matter what team's uniform he wore in the National Hockey League, he was always deeply connected with the local hockey community. Along with nearly all local products who went on to play pro hockey -- TJ Brennan, Tony DeAngelo, the late Tony Voce, etc. -- Checking for Charity was a yearly event that was near and dear to all of their hearts.
However, I have quite a few friends who've been close to Johnny Gaudreau and the Gaudreau familiy over the years. My heart bleeds for each and every one of them, but even more so for his wife and parents. I can't even imagine -- nor would I want -- being the one to receive such a phone call about my own child or wife.
I try to take perspective on situations like these. Right now, I have none to offer. Just be sure to cherish those closest to you, and let them know it today. Tomorrow is never guaranteed for anyone. I can guarantee you that there are teammates of Johnny Gaudreau from Columbus, Calgary, Boston College and youth hockey in our area who only wish they'd have had one more chance to say, "Love you, brother. Congrats to Katie!" to Johnny and/or Matthew.
Note: I had a some Flyers-related Quick Hits planned for this morning, but those are trivial by comparison. Right now, hockey considerations are meaningless.
Appropriately, because of the Gaudreaus lifelong ties to the local community in general and the local hockey community in particular, the Flyers have also released a statement. See below:
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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