This One Hurts

I am upset over an NHL player and his brother, neither of whom I know, killed by a drunk driver in southern New Jersey on Thursday. Countless others are, too.

(Adapted from a Facebook post, with a few modifications and edits)

There is so much that hit home with the news of the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau on Thursday evening.

If you’re unfamiliar with John Gaudreau, you must not follow ice hockey. My youngest son, Garrett, a top men's league goalie in Denver who learned his craft in the Philly suburbs, was hit hard. “Johnny Hockey” is a legend, especially among smaller players, no matter their position.

As the former chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey and having worked just a few miles north of where Gaudreau and his brother lived and lost their lives to a drunk driver while biking on a rural road, I can envision where this happened—flat, straight open roads and farmland, few trees, usually ample shoulders. South Jersey is a biking paradise with all those attributes. The driver must’ve been really drunk and debilitated.

And as an avid biker, two lessons are re-learned. Don't bike at sunset or night, and avoid on-road biking. That in no way excuses the imbecilic drunk driver of the auto who killed them.

Few gave the 5’9” Gaudreau any chance of playing in the NHL. It was amazing that he was drafted in the fourth round. He inspired the Garrett Johnstons of the world and countless younger ones.

Gaudreau, 31, became an NHL legend within a decade after entering the league. He scored his first goal in his first NHL game. He nearly shares Garrett's exact size and age. Garrett reminds me that he and Gaudreau both played at IceWorks in Aston, PA, frequently - Garrett used to watch him play before his games. They never got to play together. Gaudreau was in a “different league,” so to speak.

His brother, Matthew, who lived in Pedricktown, NJ, was also a professional hockey player. Remarkably, both came from a small town in southern New Jersey. The area does have terrific youth hockey programs, but it has yet to be known as a hotbed of NHL talent. They overcame a lot to get where they did. Both were loved and respected as dutiful and loving husbands and fathers. Johnny was the father of two children, including a son born in February; Matthew's wife is pregnant.

That both were tragically killed by a drunk driver on the night before their sister's wedding compounds the tragedy; I just. . . can't.

Under New Jersey law, Sean Higgins, the drunk cretin who killed the brothers, faces a maximum of 20 years. That's all. I have a different sentence in mind, one that no judge can overturn.

Our hearts go out to the Gaudreau family, all their friends in southern New Jersey, and their fans in Columbus and Calgary, where Gaudreau made his mark.

This one hurts—so much tragedy. Pray for them.