Johnny Gaudreau’s widow, Meredith, says she's 'having a hard time' ahead of their daughter's 2nd birthday
Meredith Gaudreau, the wife of the late Johnny Gaudreau, is reflecting on the death of her husband ahead of their daughter's birthday.
She opened up about how she has been coping in the weeks after her husband's death in an Instagram post on Sept. 20, sharing a clip from an old interview of the NHL star talking about becoming a father.
“I’ve been having a hard time as Noa’s 2nd birthday approaches,” Meredith Gaudreau wrote in the caption. “She loves watching videos of daddy before bed especially her requests for ‘daddy hockey’ which led me to these videos.”
Meredith Gaudreau said that their daughter, Noa, “loves watching him play” and often is “cheering for him through the screen.”
“His biggest fan. They loved each other so much,” she added. “She even has the same freckle as him on her right cheek. And as she approaches turning 2 I have been told their personalities are getting to be more and more similar and I can’t wait for that to continue.”
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother, Matthew, 29, were killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding bikes in their New Jersey hometown on Aug. 29.
The Columbus Blue Jackets star and Meredith Gaudreau, who got married in September 2021, share two children: daughter Noa, who will turn 2 on Sept. 30, and son Johnny, who was born in February.
During her eulogy at her husband's joint funeral with his brother on Sept. 9, Meredith Gaudreau shared that she was expecting the couple's third child and was in her ninth week of pregnancy.
Matthew Gaudreau and his wife, Madeline, whom he married in July 2021, were also expecting their first child, due in December.
In the days that followed the brothers' deaths, Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau shared several tributes to their late husbands, including heartbreaking posts about Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's close bond.
Meredith Gaudreau shared several more clips of her husband's old interviews to Instagram Sept. 20, including a moment of Johnny Gaudreau emphasizing the importance of family.
“My perfect husband. I want to say that watching these videos has me feeling so thankful but to be honest I never once didn’t feel like the luckiest most grateful girl in the world since the day I met him,” she wrote. “Videos like this is why. I love you so much John.”
In another Instagram post, Meredith Gaudreau said it has “been really hard watching hockey start” and “seeing how different” her life is after the death of her husband. The 2024-2025 NHL season officially begins Oct. 4.
“My whole life was taking care of John and our kids. It’s all I ever wanted. But watching Sean wear CBJ is something I know John always always wanted,” she wrote, referring to her husband's former teammate, Sean Monahan, who signed with the Blue Jackets in July to play with Johnny Gaudreau again, according to NHL.com.
She continued, adding, “Noa loves cheering for Uncle Sean too. Wishing 23 a good training camp and can’t wait to cheer you on.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
