Widow of Johnny Gaudreau announces she is pregnant with their third child during funeral

"I’m in my ninth week of pregnancy with our third baby," said Meredith Gaudreau, whose husband, hockey star Johnny Gaudreau, was killed last month alongside his brother Matthew.

Pallbearers carry one of the caskets into the church for the funeral services for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau at Saint Mary Magdalen Church in Media. The brothers were killed while biking in Salem County on Aug. 29 after a driver crashed into them, allegedly while drunk. Sean Higgins was charged with two counts of death by auto.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Beatrice Forman

Published Sept. 9, 2024, 3:01 p.m. ET

Johnny Gaudreau’s widow announced that she is pregnant with the couple’s third child during a tearful eulogy during a joint funeral service Monday for the Columbus Blue Jackets’ player and his brother Matthew.

“John and I had the best six months as a family of four,” Meredith Gaudreau — Johnny’s wife — said while addressing the packed pews of St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media. “There’s specifically one week that I will cherish forever — it will be my favorite week of my life out of those six months. We’re actually a family of five. I’m in my ninth week of pregnancy with our third baby.”

Meredith Gaudreau called the baby a “total surprise” but also the “ultimate blessing … despite these difficult circumstances.”

Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were riding bikes along County Route 55 in Oldmans Township, N.J, when an allegedly drunk driver struck and killed them on Aug. 29, the day before their sister Katie Gaudreau’s wedding. The driver has since been identified as Sean Higgins, a 43-year-old Army National Guard Officer who has been charged with two counts of death by auto.

During her eulogy, Meredith Gaudreau emphasized how much Johnny enjoyed being a father to their two children, Noa and Johnny, who are both under two years old.

“Whatever worked best for our family is exactly what John always did,” Meredith Gaudreau said, noting that her husband beamed when she told him about the third pregnancy.

Matthew Gaudreau’s wife Madeline is also pregnant with the couple’s first child, a boy they have decided to name Tripp. A baby registry for the couple lists their due date as Dec. 31, 2024, People magazine reported.

During her eulogy, Madeline Gaudreau said that her husband was ready to dive into fatherhood, never missing an obstetrician appointment and laboring over how to decorate the baby’s nursery and pick the right diaper brand.

“Anyone who knows Matty knows he was born to be a dad,” Madeline said.

The Gaudreau brothers grew up in Carneys Point Township in Salem County, where they both played for Gloucester Catholic High School before going on to play professionally. Johnny Gaudreau was as a seven-time NHL all-star, while Matthew played five seasons in the NHL’s minor league before returning to South Jersey, where he coached high school ice hockey.

At the end of her address, Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew’s wife, turned to her sister-in-law and addressed her directly about the connection they share as expecting mothers.

“I am so sorry that we will forever share this bond … There’s one person in this world that knows the exact feeling I am feeling, and that is you,” Madeline Gaudreau said. “I promise I will always be there for you … and that we will honor the lives of our husbands together, hand in hand.”