'Blown away by your kindness': Meredith Gaudreau thanks Calgary in heartfelt eulogy

Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny Gaudreau’s widow, gave a sincere thank you to Calgary for the outpouring of support for her and the Gaudreau family.

Meredith spoke at a memorial service for Johnny and his brother Matthew on Monday in Pennsylvania. She called Calgary their “home away from home,” after Johnny spent more than 10 years as a member of the Flames organization.

• IN PICTURES: Remembering Johnny Gaudreau: 1993-2024

“It’s your memories, videos, tributes and kind words that I’m so tightly holding onto to one day show our babies how truly special their daddy was and how loved he was,” Meredith said.

“Calgary is such a special place in John’s heart, and mine.”

Calgary Flames Johnny Gaudreau celebrates his goal during second period NHL first round game six playoff hockey action against the Vancouver Canucks in Calgary, Saturday, April 25, 2015. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Hundreds of mourners gathered at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, PA., to honour Johnny and Matthew, a week and a half after their death. The two men were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey.

Meredith, who revealed she was pregnant with the couple's third child, described Johnny as a “family-first guy” and said it was a difficult decision to leave Calgary, but it was ultimately all for their growing family.

“He wanted his parents and his siblings to be able to see more games and spend more time with us and our baby on the way,” she said.

She added that she wants to bring her and Johnny’s children to Calgary one day, to show them where their dad had some of the “best times of his life” and made “life-long friends.”

“I really am blown away by your kindness, but at the same time I’m not surprised at all because I have been lucky enough to call Calgary my home with John.

“I got to experience first-hand what kind of people you are. John was so kind because having lived there for about 10 years, he became a Calgarian as well.”

Gaudreau was drafted by the Flames in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft, after spending his college years at Boston College. He played eight full seasons with the Flames, before departing to Columbus as a free agent in 2022.

He spent eight of those seasons playing with his friend and teammate Sean Monahan, who Meredith addressed directly during her eulogy.

“John loved you so much. Such an effortless and genuine bond, I was honoured to be a part of,” she said.

“As one of a kind as John was, I think you are as close as it gets to being just like him.”

Calgary Flames' Sean Monahan, left, celebrates his game-winning goal against the Dallas Stars with teammate Johnny Gaudreau during overtime shootout NHL hockey action, in Calgary, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Monahan signed a contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets this past offseason and was set to reunite with Gaudreau on the ice this year.

“You made John the most excited for hockey that I’ve ever seen when you signed in Columbus. And I’m heartbroken for you that he cannot be with you on the ice,” Meredith said.

“But I’m rooting for you every single night, and I know John is too as your special guardian angel now.”

The Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township at about 8 p.m. on Aug. 29 when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind, according to New Jersey State Police. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, who faces two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, has been jailed pending a Sept. 13 hearing.

After Johnny and Matthew’s deaths, Calgary Flames fans flocked to the Saddledome to pay their respects and add mementos to a memorial on the steps of the arena.

The memorial was filled with jerseys, Flames memorabilia, flowers, balloons, skittles and purple Gatorade – famously a favourite of Gaudreau and his linemates, Monahan and Elias Lindholm.

Hockey fan Howard Sangwine rode his bike to the Gaudreau memorial outside the Saddledome on Monday. He said it was a day of reflection, as the funeral took place.

"It just grates at your heart when you come down here," said Sangwine.

"It's actually kind of hard to keep it together just thinking about their families and the kids they are leaving behind."

Sangwine says he would attend Flames games early, just to watch Gaudreau warm up.

"The world was a better place with you both in it, and you're going to be sorely missed," he said.

For Mark Fernandez, he knelt and said a prayer in front of the memorial on Monday.

"I'm from Calgary, but I'm not a huge fan of hockey," he said.

"But I have friends that are huge fans of it, and I can really tell that the community that we have here, it's really showing how much love and care that we have for our hockey team."

Steven Manzano is in Calgary for the WWE. As a hockey fan, he said he was moved by the memorial.

"Things like this that just make you realize you can't take life for granted," said Manzano.

For Lina Ducharme, she was emotional seeing the tribute for the brothers.

"It's so tragic when somebody so young, with so much life to live, gets theirs taken away."

Thousands of fans joined the Flames in a candlelight vigil last week, where members of the organization and former teammates shared memories of “Johnny Hockey.”

In the WWE's return to Calgary on Monday night, fans were on their feet during a tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

During Monday Night Raw, the WWE reflected on how much number 13 meant to the city while showing the memorial tribute outside the Saddledome.

And Canadian wrestling star Sami Zayn walked out wearing Gaudreau's jersey, prompting "Johnny" chants from the crowd. 

With files from The Associated Press