Tragic hockey-playing brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were laid to rest Monday the way they lived — side by side.
“God really did draft the best two boys,’’ Matty’s weeping widow, Madeline, said at the church in Media, Pa., where mourners included NHL players such as Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine of the Montreal Canadiens and league Commish Gary Bettman.
“They were attached at the hip,” Madeline said in front of the caskets of the dead siblings, which were placed next to each other in the packed St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church.
“They slept in the same room up until college, and neither of them wanted that to change,” she said.
“John took care of Matty, and Matty took care of John. It brings me comfort to know they are still together forever, as they always were.”
She then turned to John’s widow, Meredith.
“There is one person in this world who knows what I am feeling, it’s you,” she said. “And for that, I am sorry.”
In an equally moving eulogy, Meredith Gaudreau recalled her courtship with the NHL star — and the now-tragic loss of him.
“He’s different, and he’s special, and this whole family is,” she sobbed. “We were best friends. He is my soulmate.”
The size of the crowd was proof “that John and Matthew’s lives mattered,” said the main priest celebrating the Mass.
“That they were noted on this Earth. That they were loved on this Earth. That they were valued on this Earth.
“All of us simply have a visa on this Earth,” he said. “We don’t have a passport. We’re here for a short time. Sometimes too short a time. We’ve been robbed of something here today — two really wonderful young men … who had futures left to live, who had goals and accomplishments yet to be achieved.”
The funeral followed a private viewing Sunday.
John, a 31-year-old All-Star for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets known as “Johnny Hockey,” and Matthew, 29, who played collegiate hockey alongside his brother at Boston College, were killed by an alleged drunken driver Aug. 29 while out on a bike ride on the eve of their sister’s wedding.
Madeline Gaudreau said during her eulogy, “I urge everyone not to drink and drive.
“Please do not leave another family in this torture.”
The brothers were mourned across the sports world, including in Columbus, Ohio, where Johnny signed a free-agent deal in 2022 with the small-market Blue Jackets over more lucrative free-agent offers from other teams, including in New Jersey.
The Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township about 8 p.m. when they were struck by an SUV, New Jersey State Police said.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and two counts of death by auto. He is facing a hearing Sept. 13.
The brothers have been celebrated on various social media platforms since their deaths.
Katie Gaudreau, the little sister who was to be married the day after the brothers were killed, posted pictures of her family in happier times on social media.
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