Hockey Star and brother killed by drunk driver

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NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed on the eve of their sister’s wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey, police said Friday.

New Jersey State Police said the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township on Thursday night when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind about 8 p.m., less than a half-hour after sunset. They were pronounced dead at the scene some 35 miles south of Philadelphia.

Gaudreau, 31, and brother, Matt, 29, are Carneys Point, New Jersey, natives and were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding that was scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.

Police said the driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press. He failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said, though his blood-alcohol level was not immediately available.

Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press. He failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said, though his blood-alcohol level was not immediately available.

Gaudreau was known around the sport as “Johnny Hockey,” a nickname coined by fans when he starred at Boston College from 2011-14. He helped BC win the national title in 2012 and took home the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top player two years later.

The Gaudreau brothers grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Carneys Point, New Jersey, where they spent their entire childhoods on the ice. They played at Gloucester Catholic High School, with Team Comcast and with the Philadelphia Little Flyers.

Johnny Gaudreau was a fourth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2011 and made his NHL debut in 2014 just after playing his final college game. He was named to the league’s all-rookie team during his first full professional season.

Gaudreau in 2017 won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who exhibits sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. He was perennially one of the top players in the sport and in 2021-22 set career highs with 40 goals, 75 assists and 115 points.

That summer, he signed a seven-year contract worth $68.25 million with the Columbus Blue Jackets as the top free agent on the market. He made two more All-Star Weekend appearances, giving him seven total.