Matthew Gaudreau and his wife, Madeline Gaudreau, were together for nearly 15 years — and married three — before his untimely death.
“Best 14 years of my life 🤍 I will cherish those years and you for the rest of my life,” Madeline wrote via Instagram in September 2024 days after her husband and his brother, Johnny Gaudreau, were both killed.
News broke on August 30 that Matthew and his older brother, NHL player Johnny, were struck by a vehicle in New Jersey while riding bikes. They were 29 and 31, respectively. The siblings were in town to serve as groomsmen in their sister Katie’s wedding.
“I want you to come back home,” Madeline, who is pregnant with her and Matthew’s first baby, wrote via her Instagram Story in September 2024. “Miss you so much and love you so much, baby.”
Scroll down to revisit Matthew and Madeline’s love story from the beginning:
February 2013
Matthew and Madeline began dating when they were teenagers.
December 2016
The duo celebrated Matthew’s birthday in New York City. “Happy ((22)) Birthday!! My Love. My truest friend,” Madeline gushed in her Instagram tribute. “His company is something I will never grow tired of. Another year older and another year wiser. My admiration and gratitude for you runs so deep. Today && Forever I love you. ❤️.”
February 2017
“Happy 4 years to this beautiful woman,” Matthew wrote via social media. “I wouldn’t be the man I am today without you. I love you always.”
July 2019
Matthew proposed in New Jersey, joking via Instagram, “Didn’t think she would say yes!”
September 2019
The pair revealed via social media that they were officially “pawrents” after getting their first dog together.
July 2021
Matthew and Madeline said “I do” in Elmer, New Jersey.
June 2022
The newlyweds took a honeymoon to Grenada the summer after their nuptials, sharing beach photos online.
June 2024
Madeline announced via Instagram that she is pregnant with the couple’s first baby, who is due in December.
August 2024
Matthew and Johnny were killed on August 29 while biking in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. Us confirmed the man driving the vehicle that crashed into the siblings was suspected of being drunk. The driver was arrested and charged with homicide following the accident.
Johnny and Matthew are survived by their parents, Guy and Jane, and sisters Katie and Kristen. Additionally, Johnny, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, left behind his wife, Meredith, and their two children, Noa and Johnny Jr.
Matthew, who played hockey in college and then in the minor league, is survived by his wife and their unborn child.
September 2024
“It was always Matty & John. I can’t even put into words the bond these two had and right now I don’t have the strength. They were each other’s biggest cheerleaders,” Madeline wrote via an Instagram tribute about her late spouse and his brother. “Matt looked up to John in so many ways but the most important was the father he was to Noa & Johnny. I find extreme comfort knowing they are together, as they always were. I know they are still messing with each other up there and will continue to look over their families.”
Madeline shared a message to her sister-in-law Meredith about their “extreme heartbreak and terrible bond” after the deaths of their husbands.
“The boys couldn’t have picked stronger woman [sic] as their wives and mothers of their children. We will carry each other through every season … as the boys would do for each other,” she continued. “They blessed us with children … through them we will always have a part of them earth side with us forever. I love you my handsome husband, I love you John, I love you Meredith, I love you Noa, I love you Johnny and I love you baby Tripp.”