A bouquet of flowers was presented by a Gloucester Catholic High School ice hockey player to the family of John and Matthew Gaudreau during a remembrance of the brothers on Feb. 6.
Despite the grief of losing two sons, two brothers and two fathers, three generations of the Gaudreau family had their spirits lifted during a touching remembrance ceremony inside the Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell on Dec. 6.
“I am so happy that Johnny, Matty and I went to Gloucester Catholic,” said their sister, Katie Gaudreau, who was to be married the day after her brothers were tragically killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding their bikes in Salem County last summer.
She thanked the Gloucester Catholic community for honoring the legacy of her brothers before the Rams ice hockey team played St. Peter’s Prep at their home ice at Hollydell. Before the game, both teams lined up on the ice as Gloucester Catholic Coach Mike Geary spoke to the crowd of nearly 200 people about how important John and Matthew Gaudreau – and their father, Guy – were to the ice-hockey program.
His words were repeatedly answered by the players banging their sticks on the ice.
Despite the pain etched in the faces of Guy and Jane Gaudreau from losing their two sons way too soon, they smiled brightly as Rams players presented them with three gifts.
“We are honoring the legacy of the Gaudreau brothers, John and Matthew, whose contributions to both the Gloucester Catholic community and the ice-hockey program continue to resonate,” Geary said. “We are here to honor John and Matthew Gaudreau, who were not only outstanding athletes but also incredible individuals.
“Their passion for the game and their commitment to our program will never be forgotten.”
As youngsters, the brothers learned the game from their father, who as a young man was an ice-hockey and soccer star at Norwich University in Newport, Vermont, and one of the state’s most prolific forwards in both sports at North Country Union High School in that town.
A member of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame and the Norwich Athletic Hall of Fame, Guy excelled at ice hockey, scoring 118 goals in high school and 88 at Norwich, where he graduated with a physical education degree in 1979.
Guy then brought his love of hockey to South Jersey, where he and his wife settled down and raised four children: Johnny, Matty, Kristen and Katie. He almost single-handedly brought the sport to the area at Hollydell and Gloucester Catholic High in Gloucester City, coaching the Rams to a South Jersey championship in 2010 with sons Johnny and Matty playing starring roles.
During a remembrance ceremony for the brothers at the arena on Sept. 13, National Hockey League (NHL) announcer Jim Jackson noted: “Hollydell opened in 1992 and Guy was the hockey director. When Johnny and Matty came along, it was a home away from home for them.”
Guy Gaudreau taught his sons well, as “Johnny Hockey” went on to be a seven-time NHL all star and Matty played in the American Hockey League before returning to South Jersey to coach the Philadelphia Rebels and Gloucester Catholic.
