NEED TO KNOW
\nDuring an Aug. 13 appearance on Good Morning America, Madeline Gaudreau revealed what she wished she’d been able to tell her late hockey star husband Matthew before his death at age 29
Madeline welcomed the couple’s son Tripp Matthew months after her husband died in a tragic accident alongside his brother, fellow hockey star Johnny Gaudreau”He made me a better person,” Madeline said of Matthew<\/p>\n
Madeline Gaudreau<\/a>, the wife of the late hockey star Matthew Gaudreau<\/a>, opened up about one conversation that she wishes she’d been able to have with her husband before his tragic death last year.\n<\/p>\n The 29-year-old former professional hockey player and his 31-year-old brother Johnny Gaudreau, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver<\/a> while in New Jersey for their sister’s wedding on Aug. 29, 2024. The driver has since pleaded not guilty<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Ahead of the first anniversary of the brothers’ deaths, Madeline joined Johnny’s widow, Meredith<\/a>, and opened up about life after the loss and parenting their children in a Tuesday, Aug. 12, interview with Good Morning America.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n While speaking with GMA’s Will Reeve, Madeline described her husband as “a pure, happy, good soul” and “fearless.”\n<\/p>\n “He made me a better person,” she said.\n<\/p>\n He also made her a mom, a fact that she said she wishes she’d been able to thank him for before he died.\n<\/p>\n Madeline was pregnant at the time of Matthew’s death and welcomed her and Matthew’s son Tripp Matthew<\/a> in December.\n<\/p>\n On GMA, the mom-of-one explained that she had been hesitant to become a parent because she thought she and Matthew were “too young.” However, kids were always on his mind, she said.\n<\/p>\n “Thank you for making me a mom,” she told Reeve when asked about one final conversation she’d like to have with her late husband.\n<\/p>\n She shared, “Because for a long time, Matt has wanted kids since I think he graduated college, and I was like, ‘ Matt, we’re too young.’ ”\n<\/p>\n Madeline then revealed, “And a lot of people don’t know, but in January we got pregnant, and I had a miscarriage in February. So then I got pregnant again in March with Tripp. But I never thanked him for making me a mom.”\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the interview, Madeline said that it was “heartbreaking” to witness her son “hitting milestones,” knowing that “Matt was super excited to be a dad.”\n<\/p>\n She does have her own way of sharing Tripp’s big moments with his dad, though.\n<\/p>\n “I write every night to Matt,” she said. “A couple days after the accident I started writing. Lately it’s been, ‘Oh, Tripp has two teeth now, but I know you know this.”\n<\/p>\n Asked if she or Meredith think that their children will pursue hockey like their dads, Madeline revealed that her son is already seemingly showing a preference for the sport.<\/p>\n “My father-in-law watches Tripp during the day when I work. He’s like, ‘His favorite toy’s a hockey stick,’ ” she shared. “I need to take him to the rink, but that’s challenging because I knew Matt was super excited to do that with Tripp.”\n<\/p>\n Meredith welcomed her and Johnny’s third child<\/a>, Carter Michael, on April 1. While at Johnny’s funeral, she revealed that she and her husband were expecting. They also share a daughter named Noa and a son named Johnny.\n<\/p>\n Madeline Gaudreau with her son Tripp.<\/p>\n Madeline Gaudreau\/Instagram\u00a0<\/p>\n “Our baby Carter looks exactly like him. He’s the happiest four-month-old I’ve ever seen, and he just doesn’t stop smiling,” she said about the baby, noting that she wanted her husband “to be remembered as someone who was a really good father.”<\/p>\n Speaking to Reeve on GMA, Meredith said, “Half of me, the best part of me, died that day, too. So I’m just trying to be double now for my kids even though I’m half of who I was.”\n<\/p>\n Madeline Gaudreau with her son Tripp.<\/p>\n Madeline Gaudreau\/Instagram\u00a0<\/p>\n While attending Matthew and Johnny’s funeral, Madeline reflected on the heartbreaking reality that she shared with Meredith<\/a> and noted the strength of their relationship.\n<\/p>\n \u201cMeredith, I am so sorry that we will forever share this bond,\u201d she said. \u201cThe boys could not have picked stronger women as wives and mothers of their children.\u201d\n<\/p>\n