To honor the memory of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on the anniversary of their deaths, the NHL, Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames each announced donations in the brothers’ names on Friday.
The NHL and Blue Jackets each are donating $13,000 — to honor Johnny’s No. 13 — and $21,000 — to honor Matthew’s No. 21 – to the John and Matthew Foundation.
The Flames are donating $34,000 — 13 + 21 — to Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Canada.
On Aug. 29, 2024, Johnny and Matthew were killed when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver who has been charged with two counts of death by auto while bicycling in New Jersey.
Johnny, who played his first nine NHL seasons with the Flames, was getting ready for his third with the Blue Jackets. Matthew, who would have turned 30 this past December, was preparing for his first season as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Rebels of the North American Hockey League.
On Aug. 12 — which would have been Johnny’s 32nd birthday — his widow, Meredith, and Matthew’s widow, Madeline, appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to publicly launch the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation.
“We kind of spent the whole year really trying to take our time, do things right and we’ve already been able to accept a lot of donations,” Meredith told NHL.com on Monday. “A lot of people have really spread the word, so we wanted to make sure we took our time.”
The foundation, which officially launched in March, not only helps keep the memory of the Gaudreau brothers going, it also gives back to the hockey community and the world at large.
“It was never lost on John or Matty how hard their parents (Guy and Jane) worked to get them to where they were,” Meredith said. “John would always say he wouldn’t have been able to have a lot of the resources he had if his dad wasn’t his (hockey) coach. We thought we could give back to other youth hockey associations.
“Then we also wanted to help other hockey families facing tragedies and helping other families affected by drunk driving because unfortunately, at the end of the day, that’s why we’re here. John and Matty would always do little clinics together with kids. Once Matty was done playing he transitioned into coaching, so helping youth organizations is something that spoke to both of them.”
A statement on the foundation’s website says, “John and Matty made a tremendous and everlasting impact on everyone who knew them. In addition to their hockey talents, the boys were known for their kindness. The Foundation’s purpose is to continue giving back to what the boys are passionate about and to ultimately continue to make a positive impact on the world in their honor.”
A cereal named “Bond of Brothers” has also been developed to benefit the Gaudreau family foundation. The cereal, cinnamon squares as a tribute to Johnny’s favorite cereal, was launched by Ty Ballou, president and CEO of PLB Sports & Entertainment, a Pittsburgh company that creates high-quality food products in partnership with the world’s top athletes, entertainers and brands. Ballou has developed several cereals, including Flutie Flakes, with former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie.
Ballou wanted to get involved after watching the Blue Jackets’ video tribute to Gaudreau.
“I thought, ‘I need to do something here,’” Ballou said. “So I reached out to the Gaudreaus’ agent and started there and called her up and I said, ‘This is a crazy thing, you don’t know me, but I want to do something to help the family. I kind of do cereals.’ A month went by and nothing, then they took it to Madeline and Meredith and the family, and they said, ‘Let’s do it.’
“I’ve got kids, I’ve got grandkids. And this is just my way, you just have to do something, you just have to help people, people you don’t know. It’s great to help people you know but when you see something like this, and I feel blessed that I have the ability to do this in my little, weird cereal world.”