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RIP Johnny Gaudreau

ELY – When I got up this morning there was a text message awaiting me. It was from my son William, and it is normally a bit unusual to receive any morning texts from him. 

So, I opened it and it was a simple three-word message that said “Johnny Gaudreau killed.” 

I sat there in disbelief as I stared at those words. The first thought that went through my head was, what? Did I read that right? I looked at it again, even though it would be challenging to misunderstand the message. 

There it was, Johnny Hockey was gone from us and would be forever. I was in total disbelief.  

On Thursday night, the 29th, Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew were in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, to attend their sister’s wedding, which would have been held this evening. They were out for an evening bike ride when an SUV struck them from behind. 

The driver, Sean Higgins, was arrested at the scene and charged with vehicular homicide and is being detained in the Salem County Jail. He is also being investigated for possible DUI charges when a deputy on the scene smelled alcohol on him. He was given a field sobriety test and failed it. 

Higgins also has a long rap sheet of prior arrests and convictions for a variety of driving offenses, including driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence of controlled substances. 

Gaudreau grew up in Salem, New Jersey, where he excelled in youth hockey and would later be coached at Gloucester Catholic High School, where he had a chance to play for his father who was the Head Coach. 

In his best season at Gloucester, he had 48 points in 14 games. Gaudreau would play in the USHL for the Dubuque Fighting Saints during the 2010-11 season, scoring 72 points in 60 tilts. He was on the USHL All-Rookie team and was named to the USHL All-Star team. 

He was also honored by being selected to the All-USHL second team. At season’s end, he was chosen as the USHL Rookie of the Year after helping Dubuque win the USHL Clark Cup as the league’s Champion.

The following season he went to play at Boston College. As a freshman, he scored 44 points in 44 games and was an integral part of the team’s 2012 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four victory over Ferris State University. 

During his sophomore year, he elevated himself into becoming the best player on the Eagles squad. He won the Hockey East Player of the Year honors and tallied 51 points in 35 games. For the second straight season, Gaudreau was named a Hobey Baker Award finalist but didn’t win it. 

Surprising many people in the hockey world, who believed he would sign a professional contract in the offseason, Gaudreau returned to Boston for his Junior year so he could play with his younger brother Matthew. 

He scored 80 points in 40 games, giving him the most points per game since Peter Sjena from Colorado College scored 82 points in the 2002-03 campaign. He had a points streak that lasted for 31 games and scored 61 points in that timeframe. 

There would be no National Title that season though when Union College eliminated the Eagles in the Frozen Four. Union would go on to win the title game versus Minnesota. 

He was named Hockey East’s Player of the Year for the second season in a row, and would finally win the Hobey Baker Award. 

In the offseason, Gaudreau finally turned pro, signing an ELC with the Calgary Flames club that had drafted him in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He went 104th overall, in the 4th round. He played in one game as the Flames finished their 2013-14 campaign. He got his first goal as a pro on his very first shot on goal. That’s a great feeling for any player, especially at that level. 

Gaudreau’s accolades as a player, both at the amateur and pro level would fill a book. He was always very active for Team USA in IIHF events and performed well whenever he went. 

He won Silver at the 2010 U18 tourney. He won Gold in the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships. He then represented the USA for six World Championships. Their best finish in those tourneys was a Bronze medal in the 2018 event. The Flames had mixed results in the Stanley Cup tournament during Gaudreau’s tenure in Calgary. They had three Did Not Qualifies, and they had one first-round series victory and won in the qualifying round during the COVID season, all were followed by second-round losses. 

Despite the lack of playoff success, it would be hard to say that Gaudreau wasn’t one of the best players in the world. And he had the offensive skills to back that up. 

I’d at least place him in the top 50, maybe even the top 25 during some of his seasons. He had outstanding hands, was an excellent skater, and even without a booming shot, he still managed to get his fair share of goals, with many of them scored from right in front of the net. 

His brother Matthew, post-college hockey, played mainly in the AHL and ECHL. He last played as a pro during the 2021-22 season for the Worcester Railers. Johnny and Matt had two sisters in their family as well. 

The family had gathered together for the holiday weekend to hold a wedding ceremony for their sister Katie and were going to be among the groomsmen in the wedding party. 

Throughout my life I have mostly lived by a small handful of rules, never harm other humans or animals through physical or mental abuse, and always respect other people’s person and their personal property. Other than that, as long as you aren’t roaming your neighborhood or town committing crimes, I don’t care what you do. 

I had a good time in my younger days, but that tapered off as I got older, until the party days were over. For drinking, I was never crazy about it, and the more I saw how many people or families it destroyed, I came to hold contempt for it. 

Today, due to a medical condition, I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to. And I don’t. It’s of zero interest to me. 

Tonight, a family out East has been shattered and altered for the remainder of their lives here with two members violently and abruptly taken from them. Shattered by a brainless, thoughtless person who thought he must be the one guy who could drink and drive that would never harm anyone. He was quite wrong about that, and judging by his prior arrests and convictions, he has learned nothing about changing his behavior for the better, and for the safety of the public. 

Sadly, every state in the union has a long list of these types. Maybe they just aren’t smart enough to allow for rehabilitation or positive personal change. 

If not, the system has vastly failed the Gaudreau’s on this day. Higgins has proven that he can’t handle substance abuse and now others are going to pay a huge price for that. Sometimes life just isn’t fair.

PEACE