The newspaper The Columbus Dispatch reports, citing a local TV channel, that Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed when they were hit by a car during a bike ride in New Jersey on Thursday evening, American time.
According to the AP news agency, the police state that the driver is suspected of being under the influence.
"The Columbus Blue Jackets are in shock and devastated by this unbelievable tragedy", writes the NHL club on X.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says in a statement:
"The NHL family is shocked and saddened by the tragic deaths".
Goal Machine
Johnny Gaudreau became one of the NHL's biggest stars during his nearly eight seasons with the Calgary Flames. He got the nickname "Johnny Hockey" and trademarked his nickname.
He poured in points in Calgary and had his best season in 2021–22 when he scored 115 points, 40 goals and 75 assists.
Swede Rasmus Andersson, who played with Gaudreau in Calgary, is struggling to come to terms with the news.
Johnny was probably my first really good friend there. It's been a terrible morning. A lot of crying and my wife and I have tried to comfort each other and many memories have popped up. He was an amazing person, incredibly kind and calm, says Rasmus Andersson to Aftonbladet.
Awarded for his Sportsmanship
Johnny Gaudreau then surprised the hockey world by moving to the bottom team Columbus, which he has represented for the past two seasons.
The reason for the move was that he wanted to get closer to his family in New Jersey.
In total, he scored 743 points (243 goals and 500 assists) in 763 NHL games during his career.
The 31-year-old American was selected to the NHL's All-Star game seven times and was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy in 2017, the NHL's prize for the most sportsmanlike player.
He won World Junior Championship gold with the USA in 2013 and took World Championship bronze in 2018. He played in the World Championship for the USA as recently as last summer in the Czech Republic.
His brother Matthew Gaudreau was also a hockey player, but never reached the NHL. He played 12 games for Tyringe in the Hockey One league during the pandemic season 2020–21.
