SEWELL, N.J. – Just days after brothers John and Matthew Gaudreau tragically died when they were hit by a driver while cycling the day before their sister Katie`s wedding, friends visiting their parents, Guy and Jane, during a rainstorm saw a double rainbow appear after the skies cleared, offering a brief moment of peace.
Since that time, Jane Gaudreau hadn`t felt she received any signs from her sons. So, on Friday, she sat in their room and asked for divine help to ensure good weather for the event honoring their memory. After a tornado watch scare the previous night, a rainbow did indeed appear Saturday morning, about an hour before the sun broke through, just in time for the first-ever Gaudreau Family 5K Walk/Run and Family Day.
“I was so relieved,” Jane commented. “I thought, ‘Okay, there’s my sign.’”
Thousands gathered for the event at Washington Lake Park in southern New Jersey. This park was a familiar place for John and Matthew, where they spent countless hours as children, and it`s near Hollydell Ice Arena, their first hockey rink. The turnout included approximately 1,100 participants walking or running on-site, plus over 1,300 joining virtually from across the U.S., Canada, and globally.
“I believe this shows the strength of their family bond and how loved they were by everyone,” stated Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. He was one of several NHL players close to the Gaudreau brothers who made sure to attend. “The support from this community and the players who traveled here speaks volumes about Johnny, Matty, their impact, and the family. They receive so much support because they are genuinely wonderful people.”
Beyond commemorating the NHL star known as “Johnny Hockey” and his younger brother, affectionately called Matty by family and friends, the event aimed to fund an accessible playground at Archbishop Damiano School. Both Jane and her daughter Kristen work at this school. Building the playground was a cause John and Matthew had started supporting in memory of their grandmother Marie, who dedicated 44 years to the school before her passing in 2023.
After their deaths, this initiative became their mother’s primary focus.
“Jane works daily with children with disabilities and understood the crucial need for this playground,” explained family friend Deb Vasutoro, the originator of the 5K idea. “The playground project had been in development for about four or five years, but funding was insufficient. After the boys died, Jane needed a purpose, and she decided, ‘Let’s make this playground happen.’ It felt like the ideal way to honor the boys while bringing joy and smiles to children.”
According to Rev. Allain Caparas from Gloucester Catholic High School, where the brothers studied and played hockey while growing up in Carneys Point, raising funds for the playground continues the positive influence they had on their community.
`They are continuing to make a difference in the lives of many,` Caparas stated. `Johnny and Matthew lived purposeful lives, and today we celebrate that.`
Social media platforms were filled with messages from people in Columbus and Calgary, the NHL cities where John Gaudreau played, and even from distant places like Ireland and Sweden. Paul O’Connor, who has been close to the Gaudreau family for years through his son Dalton’s childhood friendship with Matthew, found his inbox constantly flooding with notifications about event sign-ups and donations.
“It just keeps growing,” O’Connor remarked. “People who couldn’t attend in person are participating virtually. And if they can’t do either, they are simply donating generously to the cause.”
As Guy and Jane spoke about the event, their eyes welled up with tears. Guy’s speech to the assembled crowd was both brief and deeply moving.
“I want to thank everyone for coming,” Guy said after completing the 5K. “It truly means so much to Jane, the girls, and our family. We miss our boys immensely, and having you all here to honor them means the world to us. Thank you.”
The large gathering of people, initially under rain and later sunshine, included attendees wearing apparel representing various parts of the hockey world. Brady Tkachuk, for instance, wore a “Johnny Hockey” hoodie featuring Gaudreau`s name and number 13.
Tkachuk, joined by fellow players Erik Gudbranson, Zach Aston-Reese, Tony DeAngelo, and Buddy Robinson, presented hockey sticks to the race winners. These sticks had been collected from various vigils held in late August and early September.
`Our family wouldn’t have missed this event,` Gudbranson stated, having flown in Friday night after a trip to Walt Disney World. “Hockey is a very close-knit community. This remains a tragedy, and we deeply miss the boys.”
The plan is to make this an annual event, possibly expanding it to Calgary and Columbus in the future.
“We felt this was such a wonderful way to honor the boys that we want to continue it,” Jane commented. “I believe it will only improve each year.”
Tristan Blackwood