Johnny Gaudreau’s Columbus Blue Jackets teammates all came out to support his widow, Meredith, and their 2-year-old daughter, Noah, following the NHL star’s tragic death.
On Monday, Sept. 30, Meredith took to Instagram to share photos and videos from Noah’s second birthday celebration, which fell just one month after Johnny and his brother Matthew Gaudreau were killed by an alleged drunk driver on Aug. 29 in New Jersey. .
Among the pictures Meredith posted was a group photo of the Blue Jackets team all standing next to large signs that read “Happy 2nd Birthday Noah.”
Over the picture, Meredith wrote on her Instagram Story, “We love you all. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
She added, “A really special group that will forever be family to me and our babies,” referring to Noah along with their son Johnny, 7 months, and their third child on the way — Meredith announced she’s pregnant with another on husband’s funeral.
Meredith Gaudreau IG story.
Meredith Gaudreau/Instagram
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Noah’s second birthday party was farm themed and included animal decorations and printed photos of Noah with his late father.
Meredith shared several videos from the party, as well as photos and clips from last year, including one of her and her daughter sitting on the couch watching Johnny play an away game on TV. “Dad’s biggest fan,” reads the caption on social media.
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The Blue Jackets organization continued to find ways to honor their late star and his brother following their untimely deaths. The team announced on September 19 that its players will wear helmet stickers and uniform patches in honor of Johnny throughout the NHL season.
“The decal is blue with a gray border and features GAUDREAU, two pigeons between the numbers 13, which Johnny wore throughout his career, and 21, which Matthew wore at Boston College, in white,” the team said in a release.
Blue Jackets players also recently said they will continue to set up Johnny’s locker before every game this season — home and away.
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Johnny Gaudreau.
Jason Mowry/Getty
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Head coach Dean Evason told ESPN that the team will also keep Johnny in team clips when they prepare for games. “With our videos that we put together for the camp, one of the coaches asked, are we going to cut Johnny out of all the clips?” Evason said, according to ESPN.
“I said ‘Absolutely not.’ Johnny will teach. If he has not confirmed, he will be with us.
Johnny and Matt Gaudreau were killed on the eve of their sister Katie Gaudreau’s wedding when a suspected drunken driver hit the brothers, who were riding bicycles.
Johnny, an 11-year NHL star with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, was 31. Matthew, a former NCAA hockey star at Boston College who became the assistant head coach of their high school hockey team in recent years, was 29.
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Source: HIS Education