SAD NEWS: Johnny Gaudreau’s sister Katie’s wedding canceled after NHL star and brother Matthew killed by drunk driver
The wedding of Johnny Gaudreau’s sister has been canceled after the NHL star and their brother, Matthew Gaudreau, were killed by a suspected drunk driver, Page Six can confirm.
Katie Gaudreau and her fiancé, Devin Joyce, called off Friday’s nuptials at the Parish of St. Mary in Gloucester City, NJ, in the wake of Thursday’s tragedy.
The bride- and groom-to-be had been scheduled to walk down the aisle at the Roman Catholic church at 1:45 p.m., with Johnny and Matthew serving as groomsmen and their other sister, Kristen Venello, as a maid of honor.
Guests were then set to travel to Philadelphia for the couple’s 7:30 p.m. reception at the Lucy by Cescaphe, according to Katie and Joyce’s page on the Knot.
The Parish of St. Mary did not immediately return Page Six’s phone calls.
Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were fatally struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee on Thursday at 8:19 p.m. while riding bikes in their native Salem County, NJ.
Police said the driver, Sean M. Higgins, had attempted to pass two slow-moving vehicles and instead hit the siblings from behind on the eve of their sister’s big day.
Higgins, 43, reportedly failed a sobriety test and admitted to having consumed five or six beers before the incident.
He was jailed and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, according to inmate records seen by Page Six.
Johnny’s team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, issued a statement Friday morning saying they were “shocked and devastated” by the “unimaginable tragedy.”
The organization also sent their condolences to the left winger’s wife, Meredith Gaudreau, whom he married in September 2021, and their two children: daughter Noa, 1, and son Johnny Jr., 6 months.
Matthew was also a hockey player, having most recently played for the Worcester Railers.