Share Share Share Johnny Gaudreau, a forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets, has died at the age of 31, the NHL said in a statement. The league also announced the death of Gaudreau's brother, Matthew, 29, in the same statement. The brothers were struck by a vehicle while riding bikes in Salem, New Jersey. The Carneys Point, New Jersey, natives were in the area for their sister Katie's wedding scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia. They were both set to be groomsmen. According to police, the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road when a man driving in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind. They were pronounced dead at the scene. "Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, two brothers, two sons and brothers in law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members two teammates, two friends but truly two amazing humans,” their uncle Jim Gaudreau said Friday morning in a family statement on Facebook. "We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support and we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers.” Police said the driver, Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto and jailed at the Salem County Correctional Facility. According to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press, Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the accident and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving. He failed a field sobriety test. His blood alcohol level was not immediately available. "While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path," the statement went on to say. Johnny Gaudreau spent his first nine NHL seasons with the Calgary flames. He scored 20-plus goals six times and was a 115-point player in 2021-22 as a first-time NHL All-Star when he had a career-best 40 goals and 75 assists. The brothers attended Boston College and were teammates the year Johnny won the Hobey Baker Award during the 2013-14 season. "Just devastating news for all of us connected with the Gaudreau family,” Jerry York, who coached the Gaudreau brothers at Boston College, told The Associated Press by phone. "Both Matty and Johnny were terrifically admired by all of us. Wonderful young guys, and they impressed a lot of us off ice. Everybody knows how gifted they were on ice, especially Johnny — an all-world type of Olympic player and college all-star.... They left tremendous impressions on all of us. We’ll miss the hockey exploits they always had with us but more important how they were as young guys.” Matthew Gaudreau was a hockey player with the minor league Reading Royals. "We send our most heartfelt condolences to [Johnny's] wife Meredith; their children, Noa and Johnny; his parents, Guy and Jane; and sisters Kristen and Katie," the NHL said. "And we grieve alongside his teammates, members of the Blue Jackets and Flames organizations, his many friends in hockey and countless fans around the world for whom he created indelible memories on and off the ice.” Social media was full of an outpouring of messages about Gaudreau, from USA Hockey to the Flames and beyond the sport itself. Longtime executive Brian Burke, who had Gaudreau in Calgary and with the U.S. national team, said it could not be overstated just what a joy it was to have him around. "There are few players in hockey history who matched his passion and love for the game of hockey." Burke said. "His talent on the ice was enhanced, not diminished, by the fact that he was having fun out there.” Former Flames teammate Blake Coleman posted that he was "completely gutted. The world just lost one of the best.” Retired goaltender Eddie Lack called Gaudreau one of his favorite teammates. "Always happy, always spreading positivity around him," Lack said. "Rest in Peace my friend and prayers for your wonderful family." NBA superstar LeBron James, who is from Akron, Ohio, said he instantly got sad after seeing the news. "My thoughts and prayers goes out to the Gaudreau family,” James said. "May Johnny and Matthew fly high, guide/guard and bless their family/s from the heavens above.” Gaudreau’s death is the latest off-ice tragedy to strike the organization in the past few years. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 when he was struck in the chest by a firework while attending the wedding of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace’s daughter in Michigan. The team is now left to deal with another unexpected loss three weeks before training camps around the league are set to open. "We will miss him terribly and do everything that we can to support his family and each other through this tragedy,” the Blue Jackets said. "At this time, we ask for prayers for the Gaudreau family and that their privacy be respected as they grieve.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.