As we come to the end of 2024, here’s a look back at the top stories in Washington Township.
Katie Gaudreau (with microphone), the sister of Johnny and Matty Gaudreau, addresses a capacity crowd of 2,500 mourners at a remembrance for her brothers at Hollydell Ice Arena on Sept. 13. They were killed on Aug. 29 by an alleged drunk driver as they rode bikes in Salem County.
Gaudreau brothers
As a young man, Guy Gaudreau was an ice hockey and soccer star at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, and was one of the state’s most prolific forwards in both sports at North Country Union High School in Newport.
A member of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame and the Norwich Athletic Hall of Fame, he excelled at ice hockey, scoring 118 goals in high school and 88 at Norwich, where he graduated with a physical education degree in 1979.
He then brought his love of hockey to South Jersey, where he and his wife, Jane, settled down and raised four children: Johnny, Matty, Kristen and Katie. And Gaudreau almost single-handedly brought the sport to the area, at Hollydell Ice Arena in Washington Township and Gloucester Catholic High School in Gloucester City, coaching the Rams to a South Jersey championship in 2010, with sons Johnny and Matty playing starring roles.
The Hollydell community came together to remember Johnny and Matty during a remembrance ceremony for the brothers on Sept. 13. They were both killed on Aug. 29 by an alleged drunk driver as they rode bikes in their Salem County hometown – the day before their sister’s wedding – plunging the ice hockey world into a state of grief.
Johnny, known as “Johnny Hockey,” had played for the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
“This rink has been a home for our family for many years,” noted Katie Gaudreau of Johnny, 31, and Matty, 29. “We will always know it will be there for us,” she added, referring to Hollydell’s renaming of its Futures Rink to Gaudreau Rink.
Washington Township alumnae Cheryl Reeve and Amy Wang competed in table tennis and basketball at the Paris Summer Olympics.
Summer Olympics
Two Washington Township School District alumnae made waves at the Paris Summer Olympics in the sports of table tennis and women’s basketball.
Cheryl Reeve, a 1983 graduate of the township high school, served as head coach of the USA women’s basketball team. The team won gold during the games.
Reeve has been head coach for the WNBA Minnesota Lynx since 2010 and led them to a WNBA title in 2011. She is a three-time WNBA Coach of the Year and has earned six WNBA titles. In 2017, Reeve took over as general manager of the Lynx and has complied a 300-170 record and a 41-21 playoff slate, according to USA Basketball. And Reeve took over as head coach of the USA women’s basketball team at the end of 2021.
Amy Wang is a 2022 graduate of the township high school. She started playing table tennis at the age of 4, according to the Team USA website. Her two older brothers – Allen and Eddie – and her father, Xiaota Wang, are also accomplished table tennis players. The latter once played professionally, but switched to coaching his daughter.
Wang made her first U.S. National Team when she was 12. In France, she made it to the round of 32.
Mike and Chris Milam own Uncle Heavy, who made his debut in May at the 149th Preakness Stakes.
Uncle Heavy
Washington Township rallied behind Uncle Heavy before the horse debuted on May 18 at the 149th Preakness Stakes against the likes of Mystik Dan, the eventual winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby.
Ahead of the race for the Woodlawn Vase trophy, Mayor Laurie Burns and council recognized Uncle Heavy and presented owners Mike and Chris Milam with a proclamation at a May 15 meeting.
“Our very own Washington Township residents, Mike and Chris Milam, will witness their horse, Uncle Heavy, compete in the Prestigious Preakness race,” Burns noted. “It’s a testament to their dedication and passion for horse racing.”
The Millams said their horse “exceeded all our expectations.”
“It’s been a cool journey,” they noted.
Ultimately, Seize the Grey won the 149th Preakness Stakes and Mystik Dan came in second. Uncle Heavy came in sixth.
