Funeral for John and Matthew Gaudreau planned at church in Philadelphia suburb

The funeral for John and Matthew Gaudreau is scheduled for Monday at a church in a Philadelphia suburb. The driver accused of killing the two remains in jail awaiting his next court appearance.

The memorial service for the Gaudreau brothers will be held at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania. The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, for whom John Gaudreau played and was known in the sport as “Johnny Hockey,” said the team will stream the service on its website.

The Gaudreau brothers died last week when they were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bicycles in their home state of New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding. Sean M. Higgins appeared virtually for his initial preliminary hearing Thursday. The judge postponed the hearing until Sept. 13 to give attorneys more time to prepare.

Higgins, 43, is being held in Salem County Jail on two counts of vehicular homicide, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Attorneys Matthew Portella and Richard Klineburger III said Higgins hired them to represent him.

“This is a tragedy with many emotions and impact on many people,” they said in a statement. “It is too early in the legal process to make statements outside of court.”

Scores of hockey community members from Columbus to South Jersey to Boston College, where the Gaudreaus played, are expected to attend the funeral, along with family and friends. Blue Jackets executive director Don Waddell said the entire team would be there, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also plans to attend.

Reverend Eric J. Banecker wrote in a letter to parents that the school at St. Mary Magdalen would be closed Monday for church services.

“This will be an extraordinarily large funeral for two young men, one of whom was a professional hockey player,” Banecker wrote in the letter posted on social media. “The fact is, we cannot guarantee a safe school day and dismissal given the expected crowds. I ask that you consider this inconvenience a small sacrifice that will help ease the pain of John and Matthew’s parents, wives, children, siblings, relatives and friends.”

Fans and current and former players paid tribute to John and Matthew at candlelight vigils in Columbus, Ohio, and Calgary, Alberta on Wednesday night. A 13-minute, 21-second silent remembrance was held outside the Blue Jackets’ downtown arena, while a slideshow of photos played of the siblings from their childhoods, through their teenage years, to college hockey, the pros, weddings, baptisms and lives filled with joy and love.

The crowd outside the Flames arena in Calgary grew to thousands, and fans began chanting, “Johnny! Johnny!”

Lewis Gross, the brothers’ longtime agent, said Thursday that it took him some time to write about what the 15 years he represented the brothers meant to him, including being part of the extended Gaudreau family.

“I never thought the bad would come like this,” Gross wrote on social media. “Hockey may be over, but my dedication to John and Matt will last a lifetime. These guys taught me so much. They taught me what family really means.”

The obituaries published Thursday directed contributions to the John & Matthew Gaudreau Foundation, administered by Gross at Sports Professional Management in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher opened his address to the 2024 class of the US Hockey Hall of Fame with continued thoughts and prayers for the Gaudreau family. Kevin Stevens, one of the newcomers, played for John and Matthew for three decades at BC.

“The last week has been horrible,” Stevens said. “It’s just heartbreaking. It’s unimaginable — something you never want to have to deal with. We’re all coming together and trying to do our best to make this work somehow.”

___

Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press editor in New Jersey, contributed.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL