On a summer night on Aug. 29, the hockey world was devastated to hear of the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, members of the NHL.
Two promising young lives, full of dreams and potential, were stolen in an instant, a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating cost of drunk driving.
The brothers were riding bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey the night before their sister’s wedding when shockingly they were both hit by a drunk driver that was severely intoxicated. Sean Higgins was the aggressive driver who was driving well over the 50 MPH speed limit when he hit the brothers. The Gaudreau family held an emotional funeral at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Media, Pennsylvania. Meridith Gaudreau, the widow of Matthew, spoke during the eulogy and revealed that she was nine weeks pregnant with their third child. She spoke a lot that day, but one important thing she said was, “In less than three years of marriage, we’ve created a family of five. It doesn’t even sound possible. But I look at it as the ultimate blessing.”
This tragedy shows a reminder to the public of the devastating consequences to drunk driving. It’s crazy the amount of people who talk about the dangers, but people continue to make poor decisions causing the deaths of innocent lives.
All 32 NHL teams honored both of the Gaudreau kids with special helmet decals for the 2024-25 NHL season. The decals were worn for every game in October.
This horrific loss of two young lives shows the failure of the enforcement of drunk driving laws. Crazy incidents like these demand people to take action. People should be asking why current DUI laws are not enough to stop the behavior of reckless drivers. Police need to have stricter enforcement, they need to start putting in alcohol detection systems in cars, and harsher penalties on offenders like Sean Higgins. If something does not change in the near future, things like this will still happen.
The loss of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau is not just a loss to their family and friends but to an entire community. Stories like these happen too often. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 30 people die everyday in the U.S. due to drunk driving. That is one person every 48 minutes. These statistics are heartbreaking, they may just be numbers until you add faces to them like Johnny and Matthew. This should set a sense of urgency to law enforcement to take action to this terrible decision.
Johnny and Matthew were more than just hockey stars, they were role models, sons, brothers, and husbands. Hearing Meridith sharing her pregnancy news during the funeral reminds us of the countless lives shattered by one dumb decision made on that night. Their loss is a wound that will never be healed for their family, friends, and the hockey world.
This isn’t about one driver or one accident. It is about society that still fails today to take drunk driving seriously. People joke about driving after having too many which shows the attitude people have that make these horrible tragedies happen like Johnny and Matthew.
A person is considered drunk if they have had three or more drinks in a quick amount of time. It is time for all of us to take responsibility for our actions. If you see someone about to drive drunk, you need to speak up. If you have ever driven after drinking you need to rethink before doing so.
Supporting organizations like the Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD) can make a huge difference in the world. Let’s honor Johnny and Matthew by working together as a society to prevent these tragic things from happening to people.
The legacy of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau should inspire us to do better, not just for them, but for every life at risk due to drunk driving.
