The funeral for John and Matthew Gaudreau has been scheduled for Monday at a church in suburban Philadelphia, and the driver accused of killing them remains in jail awaiting his next court appearance.
The memorial service for the Gaudreau brothers will be held at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania. The Columbus Blue Jackets, for whom John Gaudreau played and was known in the sport as “Johnny Hockey,” said the team will stream the service on its website.
The Gaudreau brothers died last week when they were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bicycles in their home state of New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding. The driver, Sean M. Higgins, appeared virtually at his first pretrial hearing on Thursday. The judge postponed the hearing to Sept. 13 to allow attorneys more time to prepare.
Higgins, 43, is being held in Salem County jail. He is charged with two counts of death by motor vehicle accident, reckless driving, possession of an open container and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Attorneys Matthew Portella and Richard Klineburger III said Higgins had hired them to represent him.
“This is a tragedy that has involved many emotions and has affected many people,” they said in a statement. “It is too early in the stages of the legal process to make any comments outside of court.”
Countless members of the hockey community, from Columbus to South Jersey to Boston College, where the Gaudreaus played, are expected to join family and friends for the funeral. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said the entire team would be there and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also plans to attend.
The Rev. Eric J. Banecker, in a letter to parents, said the school at St. Mary Magdalen would be closed Monday for the service.
“This will be an extraordinarily crowded funeral for two young men, one of whom was a professional hockey player,” Banecker wrote in the letter posted on social media. “The fact is that we cannot guarantee a safe school day and a safe departure given the expected crowd. I ask that you consider this inconvenience a small sacrifice that will help ease some of the pain of John and Matthew's parents, wives, children, siblings, relatives and friends.”
Fans and current and former players paid tribute to John and Matthew at candlelight vigils in Columbus, Ohio, and Calgary, Alberta, on Wednesday night. There was a 13-minute, 21-second silent remembrance outside the Blue Jackets' downtown arena as a slideshow played with photos of the brothers from childhood, adolescence and college hockey, the pros, marriages, baptisms and lives filled with joy and love.
The crowd outside the Flames' stadium in Calgary grew to thousands, and fans began chanting, “Johnny! Johnny!”
Lewis Gross, the brothers' longtime agent, said Thursday that it had taken him some time to write about what the 15 years he spent representing them, including becoming part of the extended Gaudreau family, meant to him.
“Hockey may be over, but my commitment to John and Matt will last a lifetime.” Gross wrote on social media. “These kids taught me a lot. They taught me what family really means.”
Obituaries posted Thursday directed contributions to the John & Matthew Gaudreau Foundation, which Gross runs at Sports Professional Management in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
USA Hockey CEO Pat Kelleher opened his remarks about the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024 with continued thoughts and prayers for the Gaudreau family. Kevin Stevens, one of those inducted, played at BC three decades before John and Matthew.
“The last week has been horrible,” Stevens said. “It's heartbreaking. It's something unimaginable, something you never want to have to deal with. We're all pulling together and trying to do the best we can to make this work through somehow.”
