Former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed while biking with his brother in New Jersey on Thursday night, was shown in a family photo with his wife and children in April — the last image shared publicly of the family together.
The photo was featured on the Instagram account of Gaudreau’s wife Meredith on April 16. The couple can be seen on the ice, holding their two children, Noa and Johnny, with the caption: “Last game of the season tonight. Love our guy so much.”
The couple were married on Sept. 4, 2021 at the picturesque Water Works by Cescaphe venue in Philadelphia, Penn. Meredith posted photos of the celebration to her Instagram account. In the caption of one post, she wrote: “We’re married! 9.4.21 until forever!”
Together, the couple share daughter Noa, who was born in September 2022, and son Johnny, who was born in February. Meredith announced their births in Instagram posts.
When Meredith met Gaudreau in 2018, she was working as a NICU nurse, the hockey player said in an open letter. His father had suffered from a heart attack that year so Gaudreau bought a vacation home where his family could spend time together.
“And that’s how we met … Meredith was my next-door neighbor,” wrote Gaudreau in the letter, published in July 2022 in The Players’ Tribune.
“I was so blown away by the work that she was doing. And over the course of our relationship, I’ve learned a lot from her about how to balance those two things: a passion for your work with a passion for the people in your life. I’ve learned a lot about the person I want to be.”
In the letter, Gaudreau also said the reason behind his move from Calgary to the Columbus Blue Jackets was to be closer to family, and so he could start his own.
He said it was the toughest decision he ever had to make.
“As much as we both love Calgary, I think Meredith and I just felt that it was going to be very hard to continue living as far away from our families as we’ve been living — especially as we’re starting a family of our own,” he said.
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