Paying Respect To The Gaudreau Brothers

from Katherine Donlevy of the New York Post, Grieving hockey fans erected a memorial Saturday on the New Jersey corner where an alleged drunk driver claimed the lives of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew. A cross crafted from old hockey sticks bearing the names of the brothers and their respective player numbers was plunged into the ground alongside County Route 551 in Oldmans Township, where the duo had been cycling together Thursday evening on the eve of their sister’s wedding. Several other sticks were arranged on the grass peppered between dozens of flower bouquets, balloons and a sign promising that the brothers will be “forever in our hearts.” Odes to the Gaudreaus’ respective hockey careers were also offered up at the memorial — including two bottles of Gatorade, which served as a nod to Johnny Gaudreau’s tradition of sharing a bottle of the sports drink with his old Calgary Flames teammates after scoring a goal. One man who laid down flowers told The Post the offerings were left by “the entire hockey community across the country,” with fans placing hockey sticks outside their own doors in honor of the Gaudreaus. A similar “sticks out” tribute unfolded in hockey communities across Canada and the United States in April 2018, after 16 people, including 10 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, were killed when their bus was struck by a truck in rural Saskatchewan. continued