Tributes continue to pour in after the tragic deaths of hockey players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau in a drunk driving incident last week.
The hockey world is in mourning for the two with hockey fans leaving behind tokens of their appreciation at arenas in both Calgary and Columbus, while former teammates and competitors have expressed their sympathies on social media.
As a family, the Gaudreau’s have decided to also take to social media as a way of sharing their experiences and feelings for the two brothers. On Saturday, Johnny’s wife Meredith posted three separate tributes to her husband remembering him as a partner, father, and brother.
Earlier today, it was Johnny and Matthew’s sister Katie Gaudreau who took her turn in expressing her love and admiration for her late brothers in what was a moving tribute.
“To know these two was to love these two,” Katie started. “There are absolutely no words I have to express the bond my family shared. The entire world knows there would never have been a John without Matty or Matty without John.
“The absolute best big brothers a little girl could have asked for. This will never be a goodbye post because I will never stop saying your names and honoring you both. I’ll take the best care of mom, dad, Kristen, Mer, and Madeline, your babies.”
Katie was set to get married over the weekend before the tragedy, and both Matthew and Johnny were set to be groomsmen during the ceremony. A report from TMZ in the aftermath of the deaths revealed that the wedding was cancelled in the wake of things.
In unthinkable circumstances such as these, the first thing that many people want to do is find a way to help those affected. In this case, fans and players alike have banded together to contribute to a GoFundMe campaign to assist Matthew’s wife Madeline, who is set to give birth to the couple’s first child in a few months.
The page went up intending to raise $30,000 to help Madeline with the costs of raising her child as a widow. That goal was crushed in mere hours and the total amount raised now sits at over $500,000.
To contribute to the fundraiser, you can find it by clicking here.