Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Funeral for Gaudreau brothers to be held in Philly

Written by 
Published in Breaking News
Thursday, 05 September 2024 13:06

The funeral for John and Matthew Gaudreau has been scheduled for Monday at a church in suburban Philadelphia, and the driver charged with killing them remains in jail awaiting his next court appearance.

The memorial service for the Gaudreau brothers is set to take place at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania. The Columbus Blue Jackets, for whom John Gaudreau played and was known around the sport as "Johnny Hockey," said the team will stream the service on its website.

The Gaudreau brothers died last week when they were struck and killed by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding their bicycles in their home state of New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie's wedding. The driver, Sean M. Higgins, appeared virtually at his first pretrial hearing Thursday. The judge postponed the hearing to Sept. 13 to allow attorneys more time to prepare.

Higgins, 43, is being held at a Salem County jail. He is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Attorneys Matthew Portella and Richard Klineburger III said Higgins had hired them to represent him.

"This is a tragedy involving a great deal of emotion and impacting many individuals," they said in a statement. "It is too early in the stages of the legal process to make any out of court statements."

Countless members of the hockey community from Columbus to South Jersey to Boston College, where the Gaudreaus played, are expected to join family and friends for the funeral. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said the entire team would be there, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is also planning to be in attendance.

The Rev. Eric J. Banecker, in a letter to parents, said school at St. Mary Magdalen would be closed Monday because of the service.

"This will be an extraordinarily large funeral for two young men, one of whom was a professional hockey player," Banecker wrote in the letter that was posted on social media. "The fact is we cannot ensure a safe school day and dismissal given the expected crowd. I ask you to consider this inconvenience a small sacrifice that will help ease the pain just a bit of John and Matthew's parents, wives, children, siblings, relatives and friends."

Fans and current and former players paid tribute to John and Matthew in candlelight vigils in Columbus, Ohio, and Calgary, Alberta, on Wednesday night. There was a 13-minute, 21-second silent remembrance outside the Blue Jackets' downtown arena while a slideshow played of photos showing the siblings from childhood, through their teenage years and into college hockey, the pros, marriages, baptisms and lives filled with joy and love.

The crowd outside the Flames' arena in Calgary grew to thousands, with fans breaking out into chants of, "Johnny! Johnny!"

Lewis Gross, the brothers' longtime agent, said Thursday it had taken him some time to write about what the 15 years representing them meant to him, including becoming part of the extended Gaudreau family.

"The hockey might be over, but my commitment to John and Matt will last throughout my life," Gross wrote on social media. "These boys taught me so much. They taught me what family really means."

Obituaries published Thursday directed contributions to the John & Matthew Gaudreau Foundation, care of Gross at Sports Professional Management in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher opened remarks about the 2024 class of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame with continued thoughts and prayers for the Gaudreau family. Kevin Stevens, one of the inductees, played at BC three decades before John and Matthew.

"The last week has been awful," Stevens said. "It's just gut-wrenching. It's unimaginable -0 something that you never want to have to try to deal with. We all come together and try to do the best we can to make this go by somehow."

Read 56 times

Soccer

Ange: New UCL format makes transfers harder

Ange: New UCL format makes transfers harder

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsAnge Postecoglou has suggested the extended format of European comp...

Ex-Chelsea star Oscar confirms São Paulo return

Ex-Chelsea star Oscar confirms São Paulo return

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOscar will return to his former club São Paulo on a three-year cont...

Slot warns against underestimating PL rivals

Slot warns against underestimating PL rivals

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLiverpool head coach Arne Slot has said his team cannot afford to u...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Mavs' Doncic exits loss to Wolves with calf strain

Mavs' Doncic exits loss to Wolves with calf strain

EmailPrintDALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic exited the team's Christmas Day game agai...

Wemby puts up 42 points in Christmas debut

Wemby puts up 42 points in Christmas debut

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- High on the Madison Square Garden scoreboard, a video m...

Baseball

Trading for a superstar -- and then dealing away an MVP? What to make of Cubs' confusing offseason

Trading for a superstar -- and then dealing away an MVP? What to make of Cubs' confusing offseason

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHICAGO -- For consecutive offseasons, the Chicago Cubs have given...

MLB, umpires reach tentative deal for new CBA

MLB, umpires reach tentative deal for new CBA

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMajor League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Umpires Associa...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated