Madeline Gaudreau, the widow of Matthew Gaudreau, announced the birth of their son, Tripp, on Instagram this past Sunday. This joyous event follows a period of profound sorrow for the Gaudreau family, as the tragic passing of Matthew and his brother, Johnny, a forward for the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, occurred just four months earlier. The brothers lost their lives in August when a vehicle struck them while they were cycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.

In December, developments in the case emerged when the driver involved was charged by a grand jury with multiple offenses, including two counts of reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. The ages of Matthew and Johnny at the time of their passing were 29 and 31, respectively. Following their deaths, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expressed the league's grief, stating that 'the National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.'

Both brothers made significant contributions to the hockey community, with Matthew having played professionally in the ECHL for four years with the Worcester Railers and one season with the Reading Royals. Johnny, who played 11 seasons in the NHL, notably contributed to both the Calgary Flames and the Blue Jackets, accumulating an impressive total of 743 career points, with a personal best of 115 points during the 2021-22 season.