Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith says NHL star’s death ‘haunts … all the time’

'I’m thinking about John 24/7,' widow says in new interview

Published Sep 04, 2026  •  Last updated 36 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Meredith Gaudreau and Johnny Gaudreau. Photo by Meredith Gaudreau /Instagram

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Two years after his tragic death, Meredith Gaudreau says she still thinks about her husband, Johnny Gaudreau, “all the time.”

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The 31-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets star and his younger brother, Matthew, 29, were riding their bikes on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding when they were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver on Aug. 29, 2024.

Speaking to PEOPLE in a new interview, Meredith says that night still “haunts” her.

“It’s playing in my head all the time,” she says. “But I’m thinking about John 24/7. I think about him in that moment a lot and think about the better moments too. Whenever I see our kids, I remember the nicer times.”

Meredith was nearly two months pregnant with the couple’s third child when Johnny died.

She tells the outlet that her family came together to help her raise their three children — oldest daughter Noa, 3, Johnny, 2, and 16-month-old Carter.

“My dad has pretty much retired to help me,” she says.

“I really relied on my siblings. They all fully stepped in and helped me with my kids. I wanted to make sure I was taking care of myself for my pregnancy. That was the most important thing to me, just making sure my kids were okay and my baby was doing fine. And I didn’t do a whole lot,” she says.

The two years that have passed since Johnny died have gone by in a blur.

“It still feels like yesterday,” she says. “It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two years.”

Meredith said Johnny was “excited” by her “back-to-back-to-back” pregnancies.

“He was a really gentle, really nurturing, kind of worried type of parent,” she says. “Always checking in on the kids. Even if they were sound asleep, he would sneak in their rooms just to peek over their crib.”

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Matthew’s wife Madeline, who was expecting their first child when he died, also paid tribute to her late husband on social media last month.

In early August, several weeks before the second anniversary of the brothers’ deaths, she shared a photo carousel of her with their son Tripp, writing, “My purpose.”

How Meredith learned of Johnny’s death

Writing in a Player’s Tribune essay that was published last June, Meredith described the “awful” and “indescribable” moment she learned Johnny had died.

Recalling her last interaction with her NHL star husband as he left to play golf with his brother and the other groomsmen in Katie’s wedding, Meredith said she got a call from Johnny’s sister telling her “something had happened.”

“I thought of our baby inside of me. I couldn’t stand up. I was awake and having nightmares. Thinking of you in that moment. Thinking of Matty. It’s just the worst thing I could have ever imagined. And in an instant, I missed you more than I knew was possible. And I haven’t stopped missing you since. That feeling never goes away,” she wrote.

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Gaudreau’s father hasn’t forgiven alleged driver

Sean Higgins, the man accused of drunkenly killing the Gaudreau brothers, has pleaded not guilty to reckless vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter, as well as evidence tampering and leaving the scene of an accident.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, New Jersey State Police allege Higgins drunkenly drove around a second vehicle that was ahead of him onto the shoulder, hit the brothers while they were riding their bikes and failed to stop.

His lawyers have since questioned the accuracy and credibility of the blood alcohol testing.

Court records indicate witnesses said Higgins was driving aggressively that night, “speeding up to the vehicle in front of him, then dropping back before accelerating again.”

Police also found several beer cans near where his car eventually came to a halt and Higgins himself admitted he was drinking that evening.

He faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all counts and previously rejected a plea deal with a 35-year sentence.

Johnny and Matthew’s father, Guy, told TMZ last month that he hasn’t forgiven Higgins.

“Everyone’s life goes on but mine. I will never get my sons back,” he said.

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