Gaudreau brothers remembered as role models and leaders in NJ’s hockey community
At the Hollydell Ice Arena in Gloucester County, where the brothers got their start, a makeshift memorial now stands outside of the facility where they helped so many others follow their dreams.
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In the hockey world, Johnny Gaudreau was an NHL all-star – seven times over – but for many, he and his brother Matt, were also role models, leaders and teachers.
At the Hollydell Ice Arena in Gloucester County, where the brothers got their start, a makeshift memorial now stands outside of the facility where they helped so many others follow their dreams.
“By and large hockey guys are just good guys. They know where they came from, they know what they sacrificed for their successes,” said Jim Mackey, owner of the Holldydell Ice Arena in Sewell.
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And despite all the success, fame and notoriety achieved by Johnny and his brother Matty, they never forgot where they came from - a South Jersey hockey rink, where to so many children, young adults, and aspiring players, the Gaudreau brothers were heroes. Matty, a coach for the last four years, Johnny, a superstar mentor.
“I always knew Matt was very good with younger kids. He would go back and teach, Johnny got involved as well. Matty would come back and teach clinics, young ones, how to skate and took on the role as coach for our junior team,” said Mackey.
Their success on the rink was immortalized by their photos and jerseys hanging on the walls of the upstairs lounge.
“Mr. Gaudreau taught his sons how to play at this hockey rink and they grew up here and they are South Jersey legends,” added Mackey.
Their lives, taken far too soon, their legacies, certainly never to be forgotten.
“They were not big guys. They look like normal guys kids could say ‘Look! Look what they've done! I can do that too.’”
The brothers were killed on the eve of their sister’s wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in Salem County.
