Early Friday morning, Boston College head coach Greg Brown received a distressing call from another NCAA coach. The coach shared an unthinkable rumor about two of Brown’s former players, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. “Unfortunately, it did,” Brown confirmed in a phone interview Saturday afternoon.
At 7:15 a.m., Mike Cavanaugh, a former colleague of Brown’s at BC and now the head coach of UConn’s men’s hockey program, got a similar call from an NHL team executive. “It was surreal to hear about what had happened. It was hard to believe in that moment and still is today,” Cavanaugh said.
The Gaudreau brothers, Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bicycles on a rural road in southern New Jersey. They were hours away from serving as groomsmen at their sister’s wedding.
Johnny Gaudreau, a former BC player with an 11-year NHL career, was married with two children under the age of two. Matthew Gaudreau, who also played at BC before a brief minor-league career, was married and expecting his first child.
A GoFundMe campaign, organized by a family friend, has raised over $400,000 for Matthew’s widow, Madeline, and their unborn son, Tripp.
On Saturday, Brown and Cavanaugh shared memories of the Gaudreau brothers during their time at Boston College.
The Gaudreau brothers were born 16 months apart and shared a lifelong bond, both on and off the ice. Initially committed to Northeastern, they changed their decision after coach Greg Cronin left for the NHL. According to Cavanaugh, it was Matthew who pushed for them to play at BC, despite Johnny being the older brother and more prominent player. “Johnny said to Matty, ‘Hey, I made the decision the first time. This one is your decision. Where do you want to go?'” Cavanaugh recalled.
Cavanaugh, who coached Johnny for two years at BC, and Brown, who coached both brothers, noted the Gaudreaus’ consistent positivity. “It felt like they – both guys – never had a bad day,” Brown said. “They always came in with big smiles. They were excited to be there. Be around hockey and their teammates. And it translated into the way they played on the ice. The smiling faces – nobody had more fun out there than Johnny and Matty.”
Johnny Gaudreau, listed at 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, was notably small for a hockey player. Despite his size, his elite game-processing ability made him a formidable player at every level. “Chris Kreider has great speed and strength. Cam Atkinson can shoot the daylights out of the puck. Brooks Orpik was big and physical,” Cavanaugh said. “It was always hard to describe Johnny. The way he played the game was so unique. So special from an IQ standpoint. I always thought he was kind of like Wayne Gretzky.”
Brown and Cavanaugh both expressed their grief over the tragic loss. “I’m just heartbroken for the Gaudreau family. I really am,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s hard to put it into words. I’m heartbroken and, for me, it’s still surreal.”
