Meredith Gaudreau and Johnny Gaudreau.
Meredith Gaudreau shared an emotional note to her late husband, Johnny Gaudreau, two months after his death.
“John, we love you so much,” Meredith wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, October 29. “I grow more and more proud of you every single day, (I have since the day I met you) and it continues even though you are in heaven. Thank you for giving me our hockey family, our children and such a beautiful life as your wife.”
Meredith, who is pregnant with her and Johnny’s third baby, gushed over her late partner following his death in August at the age of 31. (The couple were married just shy of three years before Johnny died.)
“You are and will always be my everything. I love you so much,” she continued. “I love you more every day. I always told you there are no words to describe my love for you. There just aren’t. ‘You know how much I love you, right?’ .”
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Meredith shared photos of the couple’s two children, daughter Noa, 2, and son Johnny, 8 months, at the Columbus Blue Jackets arena after attending an event dedicated to Johnny.
“We love you. The best daddy ever. The best husband,” she wrote. “You set the standard high (hockey and at home) and we’re all striving to be like you every day. Thank you for that. I love you forever my Reggies.”
Meredith teased, “P.s. I hope you like the CBJ Mickey Mouse sticker Noa left for you in your locker .”
Us Weekly confirmed in August that Johnny and his younger brother, Matthew Gaudreau, were struck by a vehicle and killed while riding bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. The men were in town to celebrate their sister Katie Gaudreau’s wedding, which was postponed.
The driver, Sean M. Higgins, was arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide. He is suspected of being drunk at the time of the incident.
Matthew, who was 29 when he died, is survived by his wife, Madeline Gaudreau, and their unborn son. The couple’s first baby is due in December. Both men are also survived by their parents and their two sisters.
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Following their deaths, both Meredith and Madeline have been vocal about their heartbreak. The widows have leaned on each other and their respective communities for support, which for Meredith includes the Columbus Blue Jackets team and families.
“Thank you to our entire Columbus Blue Jackets family for such a beautiful night celebrating our favorite guy . NWA was our second home as a family and a place I still feel close to John in,” Meredith wrote on Tuesday after spending time by Johnny’s locker and on the ice with his teammates. “I could see in Noa’s eyes that she can feel it too.”
Johnny played forward for the Blue Jackets beginning in 2022 after playing for the Calgary Flames for nine seasons.
“Thank you to all of our babies’ hockey uncles & aunts for keeping us so close to this community and including Noa and Johnny in everything,” Meredith continued. “John is looking down with so much pride and I know is so thankful for you all taking care of me the way you have been. The entire organization. I feel at home when I am around you all. I can’t thank you enough from the bottom of my broken heart.”
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She also thanked “all the fans for your love for John,” revealing that she’s kept “every single post and am holding on to them so tightly to show our children.”
Meredith shared that her daughter, Noa, asks for “more daddy hockey” videos “before bed every night,” so fans’ clips have helped her fulfill that request.
“I love so much and am so grateful to be able to see so many videos of John, listen to his voice in interviews and adore his perfect smile in everyone’s posts and tributes,” she concluded. “I pray they never stop. It means more to me than I can express.”