A new adaptive playground for children with special needs has been dedicated in memory of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, nearly two years after both were killed in a bicycle accident in New Jersey.
The playground, named "The Gaudreau Brothers' Wings of Hope and Chrysalis Corner," opened this week at Archbishop Damiano School in Westville, New Jersey. The Gaudreau family helped dedicate the facility, which was built to serve children with special needs.
"When the sign was unveiled, all I kept thinking about was the boys, how they would be so excited to see this," the brothers' mother, Jane Gaudreau, said, according to NHL.com. "This school has been part of our family for so long. I'm so proud that the playground is named in honor of them."
The playground was built using funds raised by The Gaudreau Family 5K. The first annual event was held last year, and the second took place just last month. Jane Gaudreau said the race raised 98 percent of the funds needed to build the playground. The remainder came through a community build.
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were killed in August 2024 after being struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding their bikes in New Jersey. At the time of his death, Johnny was playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He had previously spent nearly a decade with the Calgary Flames. Matthew had played college hockey at Boston College, the same school his brother attended, and had gone on to play in the AHL and ECHL.
Earlier this year, Johnny Gaudreau was honored at the Olympic Games in Milan. The U.S. Men's Hockey team, which he was likely to have been a part of, won gold and took post-game photos with a No. 13 jersey alongside Gaudreau's children.
The man accused of killing the brothers, Sean M. Higgins, faces six charges, including two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter. A motion to dismiss some of the charges was denied last month, according to ESPN. Higgins' next court date is scheduled for June 16.
