Close friends of John and Matthew Gaudreau are remembering the brothers as humble, kind, and genuine. The longtime friends shared stories and honored the Gaudreau brothers just days after Johnny and Matty were killed by a suspected drunk driver in Salem County, New Jersey.
“They were just the most genuine people. They weren’t just good hockey players. They are our best friends," said Jamie Hill, a long-time friend of the Gaudreau brothers.
John Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, grew up in South Jersey. Their dad, Guy Gaudreau, was the hockey director at Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, New Jersey.
As soon as John and Matty were old enough, Coach Guy had them on the ice. It is where the brothers got their start and it is where they formed some of their closest friendships.
“We grew up in the rink here," said friend, Charlie Vasaturo.
Vasaturo, Hill, Anthony Calabrese, and Chris Gentile returned to Hollydell, the ice rink that they all grew up in, to tell stories about John and Matty. The friends said they could have talked about the brothers for hours on end.
“Silly, goofy dudes who just enjoyed life and loved their family," said Calabrese. "They are just the sweetest boys in the world."
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Both John and Matty were always standouts on the ice. From Hollydell to Gloucester Catholic High School, Boston College to the pros. Matty eventually returned home to coach.
“He gave right back to the youth community at the rink he started at, the rink his dad built essentially," said Gentile.
John became known around the world as "Johnny Hockey", a seven-time NHL All-Star.
“It was always just John for us. We just saw him as that. A friend just sitting at a bonfire or pulling a prank. Granted, all the other stuff we were very aware. But it was always just a hometown family member for us. Both of them," said Vasaturo.
“They are great on the ice. They are incredible on the ice, but off the ice they are even better," said Calabrese. "Off the ice, they are perfect guys.”
The friends remembered Matty as the life of the party and John as a jokester who loved a good prank.
“We’ve lost some serious bets to those guys," said Gentile.
The group of friends said Matty and John cherished the small moments in life.
"They enjoyed their family and friends," said Vasaturo. "Not really worrying about anything outside of how do we enjoy what we are doing today."
The brothers also cherished each other. Matty and John's friends said they were inseparable and almost like twins.
"You don't get John without Matty and you don't get Matty without John," said Gentile. "They supported each other through everything."
In addition to their parents and two sisters, John and Matty are survived by their wives. John and his wife have two children. Matty and his wife are expecting their first child in the coming months.
"Matty was looking forward to being a dad. John was already a good dad. They are just good people. Just good human beings. Would give the shirt off the back for their friends. Always there through everything. And that’s what we are going to remember them by," said Hill.
The friends said John and Matty are terribly missed, but they will continue to honor their lives and legacies.
“Hold your family tight and make sure you tell them you love them because I would do anything to tell them I love them one more time," said Calabrese.
