Boston College, where the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau both attended, is forever honoring their legacy.
According to an Instagram post shared by the campus radio station, the Beacon Street Buzz, “JG” and “MG” were added to the boards at the local ice rink. Johnny’s wife, Meredith Gaudreau, reposted the photo onto her Instagram Story on Saturday, October 5.
“This means a lot,” Meredith wrote, adding two heart emojis.
Johnny and Matthew died at 31 and 29, respectively, after they were struck by a drunk driver while riding bikes in August. They are survived by their parents and two sisters, as well as their respective wives. Johnny and Meredith, who is currently pregnant with baby No. 3, shared daughter Noa and son Johnny. Matthew, meanwhile, was expecting his first baby with wife Madeline Gaudreau.
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Madeline also shared a photo of BC’s rink tribute to her Instagram Story on Saturday, later writing, “Miss you so much” and a dove emoji.
After news broke of the brothers’ death, Beacon Street Buzz shared an emotional tribute.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Gaudreau family, friends, and all affected by this senseless tragedy,” an August Instagram statement read. “These two have left their mark on the BC community forever .”
After graduating from BC, Johnny was drafted by the Calgary Flames before later signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ohio NHL team plans to honor Johnny and Matthew all season long.
“One of the questions we’ve kind of asked ourselves is, ‘What would John want us to do in certain situations?’” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski told NHL.com last month. “He’d want us to enjoy coming to the rink and being around our teammates and being together.”
Captain Boone Jenner felt the same.
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“[He’d want us] just to play hockey, and he loved every second of every time he was in the rink, at practices, games, sharing time with the guys,” Jenner, 31, told the outlet at the time. “We try to enjoy each other through the good times but especially through the bad times. The last few weeks, it seems like when we get on the ice [for captain’s practices] and just go be ourselves out there and have a good time, push each other, work hard, get ready for camp but also just enjoy being out there, it’s been helping us as we prepare for the season.”
At games, each Blue Jacket player will wear a “Gaudreau” sticker with two doves, a No. 13 and a No. 21 (their respective hockey numbers) on their helmets, as well as an additional No. 13 patch on their jerseys. A version of Johnny’s Blue Jackets jersey will travel with the team to all away games and his locker will remain occupied in the home arena.