JOHNNY HOCKEY IS DEAD, AS A VULNERABLE CYCLIST, THANKS TO A DRUNK DRIVER
Gaudreau and his brother were killed by a motorist who said he had “five or six” beers, before sunset in New Jersey, which devastates a sport and demands police pay attention to vehicles vs. cyclists
In our careless and ghastly nation, where 130,000 bicyclists are injured in annual roadway crashes, Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother are among the dead. We knew him as “Johnny Hockey,” an ode to his passion and skill-making on the ice. One of hockey’s most popular players is gone, thanks to a suspected drunken driver.
The brothers were home in New Jersey, cycling on a Thursday evening. They would serve as groomsmen for their sister’s wedding, which had been scheduled for today in Philadelphia. A 43-year-old driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Sean Higgins, told police he had swilled more than five beers. Imagine drinking a six-pack, before sunset, with Higgins continuing to drink while driving. Not thinking straight, he wanted to use the farthest right side of a two-lane road to pass another SUV.
He killed the Gaudreaus.
“Impatience and reckless driving,” Higgins said.
A killer, he should have called himself.
Locked up at the Salem County Correctional Facility, he will go away for at least 20 years, if not many more. The NHL will move on without a marketable star known for his tempo, using his 5-foot-9 frame to create speed thrills in arenas across North America. Two years ago, Johnny Gaudreau raged for 40 goals and 75 assists and left the Calgary Flames for the Columbus Blue Jackets, not only for almost $69 million but because he saw a middle-sized town as the best place for his family. He and his wife, Meredith, have two children under age 2.
This is a sick story. Johnny is gone at 31. Matthew was 29.
The cops aren’t as careful these days, nationally speaking, in scoping drunk drivers. Where I live, near the beach in southern California, I’m nervous to drive my e-bike when cars ignore stop signs and careen through cyclists even when we’re in green-painted side lanes. I’ve had to slam my brakes and faithfully wear a helmet. We shouldn’t drive the streets anymore, just the trails, though the pathway beside the Pacific Ocean has its share of troublemakers and backbreakers.
Whatever the story, the Gaudreaus should have been safe. They were preparing for a family wedding. Training camp was starting in a few days.
A funeral, instead.
“While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Said the Blue Jackets: “Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice. He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him. He was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend.”
Players nicknamed for their sport don’t always work in the media business. Johnny Hockey was perfect.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to the Gaudreau family,” said LeBron James, who followed the Blue Jackets as a native Ohioan. “May Johnny and Matthew fly high, guide/guard and bless their families from the heavens above.”
As a jailed drunk considers his field sobriety test, which he failed miserably.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.