Originally appeared on E! Online
Johnny Gaudreau’s teammates are still showing up for his family weeks after his tragic death.
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Columbus Blue Jackets players came out in droves on Sept. 30 to celebrate the second birthday of Gaudreau’s daughter Noa, posing next to her and a big lawn sign that read, “Happy 2nd Birthday Noa!”
Blue Jackets player Erik Gudbranson’s wife Sarah Gudbranson shared the photo to her Instagram Stories and tagged Gaudreau’s wife Meredith Gaudreau. Sarah Gudbranson added, “Sending so much love from your Jackets family!”
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Meredith Gaudreau reposted the moving image, writing, “Love you all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Really special group that will forever be family to me and our babies.”
Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau were killed in August after being hit by a car while bike riding in New Jersey. Just a few weeks later at his memorial service, Meredith Gaudreau — who also parents her and her late husband’s 7-month-old son Johnny Edward — shared that she is currently pregnant with the couple’s third child.
"John and I had the best six months as a family of four,” Meredith Gaudreau said at the service in Media, Penn., according to ABC News. “These will forever be the best six months of my life. There's specifically one week that I will cherish forever — it will be my favorite week of my life out of those six months. We're actually a family of five. I'm in my ninth week of pregnancy with our third baby."
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She shared that prior to his untimely death, Johnny Gaudreau was thrilled by the “total surprise” pregnancy.
"John was beaming and so excited," she said. "His reaction was just immediately kissing me and hugging me."
Coincidentally, Madeline Gaudreau, the widow of Matthew Gaudreau, is also pregnant with the couple’s first child.
"He was born to be a dad," Madeline Gaudreau said during the same memorial service. "The moment we found out about our son Tripp, it consumed his every day. He was downloading apps, ordering books, finding the best diaper brand, making sure I had the best vitamins and asking for tips from John. I will never forget the tears he had in his eyes when he first heard Tripp’s heartbeat."
