Meredith Gaudreau continues to mourn her late husband, NHL star Johnny Gaudreau.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, September 24, to share a video of her late brother-in-law, Matthew Gaudreau, making a speech at her September 2021 wedding to Johnny, Meredith wrote that she hoped Matthew would “take care” of Johnny.
“Take care of John for me Matty 🖤🤍 love & miss you both. Give John a big kiss from me 😘😘😘,” she captioned the heartbreaking video.
Johnny and Matthew both died on the evening of August 29 after being struck during a biking accident in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. It had been the night before their sister Katie’s wedding. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.
In Meredith’s video, Matthew is seen taking the mic before sharing heartfelt words with the couple and their guests. “John and myself have been inseparable our whole lives. Any time you saw me, John was right beside. Any time you saw John, I was following along behind him,” Matthew was heard telling the room. “When we got older and we weren’t together because of hockey, we still took care of each other.”
Meredith and Johnny shared two children together: daughter Noa, 23 months, and a son named Johnny Jr., born in February.
Just days after Johnny passed away, Meredith marked what would’ve been the couple’s third anniversary via Instagram. “I never post this much but John deserves it. 3 years ago today I became yours forever,” Meredith captioned the September 4 post. “One of the best days of my life, including the night we got engaged and the days we brought our babies into the world.”
She shared several photos from their wedding and presumably their honeymoon, capturing the couple kneeling during their nuptials, sharing their first dance and relaxing poolside and by the ocean.
Us Weekly confirmed that Johnny, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew were riding their bikes when they were struck “in the rear” and killed by 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins.
It is suspected that Higgins, who has since been arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, was drunk at the time of the incident.
After losing her husband, Meredith has shared multiple tributes via social media in honor of Johnny.
“Thank you for the best years of my life. Despite losing you, I am still the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours,” she captioned an Instagram post on August 31 that saw her break her silence after the tragedy. “I love you so so much. You were perfect. Some days it felt too good to be true. I love every single thing about you. You are my forever and I can’t wait to be with you again. I love you so much forever and ever.”