NHL Star Johnny Gaudreau Spoke About How He Wanted to Be Remembered 2 Years Before His Tragic Death

Mar. 15, 2025

Johnny Gaudreau.Photo:Mike Ehrmann/Getty; Jason Mowry/Getty

Mike Ehrmann/Getty; Jason Mowry/Getty

Two years before his tragic death, NHL starJohnny Gaudreaudiscussed what he wanted his legacy to be in the hockey world and in life.

In a resurfaced clip shared on thehftvsports Instagram pagefrom May 2022,Johnny, 31, answered a question about how he would like to be remembered in Calgary, Canada, if he ever left their NHL team, the Flames.

“When my time does end here, I hope people remember me as a good person off the ice, a good teammate and just a good person,” Gaudreau, who played for the Flames from 2013 to 2022, said at the time.

Gaudreau, who months later agreed to join the Columbus Blue Jackets, added: “People can think what I did on the ice, but for me personally, I just want people to know how grateful I am for them welcoming me here and hopefully it’s a few more years here and they can get stuck with me.”

His words from 2022 feel especially poignant now following the deaths of him and his brother Matthew, 29, who were killed in a bike accident on Thursday, Aug. 29 in Oldmans Township near Salem County, N.J.

Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau in 2018.Matty Gaudreau/instagram

Matty Gaudreau/instagram

The brothers had returned to their hometown that weekend fortheir sister Katie’s Aug. 30 weddingand were slated to be groomsmen. The wedding was reportedly canceled, according toTMZ.

Higgins’ first court appearance was Aug. 30. His detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 5.

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Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau in 2014.Richard T Gagnon/Getty

Richard T Gagnon/Getty

“Thank you for the best years of my life. Despite losing you, I am still the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours. I love you so so much,” she wrote in onepost.

“You were perfect,” she continued. “Some days it felt too good to be true. I love every single thing about you. You are my forever and I can’t wait to be with you again. I love you so much forever and ever.”

In a secondpost, Meredith praised Johnny as the “best partner to go through parenthood with.” The couple shared daughter Noa, who turns 2 in October, and 7-month-old son Johnny.

source: people.com