Johnny Gaudreau’s legacy lives on.
Seven months after the Columbus Blue Jackets player, 31, and brother Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were tragically killed by a Jeep driver while riding their bikes in New Jersey, his wife Meredith Gaudreau shared she welcomed her and Johnny’s son Carter Michael Gaudreau.
“I had our third baby! 4/1/25,” she wrote in the caption of the April 7 post. “Another baby boy.”
Meredith also revealed how her and Johnny’s youngest is already taking after his dad.
“Carter Michael Gaudreau – same middle name as his daddy,” she added. “8lb 3 ounces, 20.5 inches – exact same as his daddy. He looks exactly like his daddy too.”
Meredith shared sweet photos of Carter with sister Noa, 2, and brother Johnny, 13 months, as well as the baby wearing a knit onesie with writing on the back reminiscent of a hockey jersey, featuring Gaudreau’s number 13 and “DADDY” for the name.
“I love you so much my baby! We are going to have so much fun,” she ended the message. “I can’t wait to give you the best life, my special boy forever.”
Meredith announced that they had a third on the way at Gaudreau’s memorial in September 2024.
“John and I had the best six months as a family of four,” she said at the service, according to ABC News. “We’re actually a family of five. I’m in my ninth week of pregnancy with our third baby.”
“John was beaming and so excited,” she recalled of how her husband has reacted. “His reaction was just immediately kissing me and hugging me.”
And while she shared that while the tragedy had been a “nightmare,” she felt blessed to be able to carry on Johnny’s legacy and their love through their children.
“In less than three years of marriage, we’ve created a family of five,” she continued. “It doesn’t even sound possible, but I look at it as the ultimate blessing. How lucky am I to be the mother of John’s three babies? Our last one being a blessing and so special despite these difficult circumstances.”
And she had the Gaudreau family at her side, including Matthew’s wife, Madeline Gaudreau, who gave birth to their first baby, a boy, in December, less than four months after the accident.
“He was born to be a dad,” Madeline said about Matthew at the brothers’ memorial service in September. “The moment we found out about our son Tripp, it consumed his every day. He was downloading apps, ordering books, finding the best diaper brand, making sure I had the best vitamins and asking for tips from John.”
Meredith also honored what a great father her brother-in-law, a former Boston College hockey player like Johnny, would have been shortly after the brothers passed.
“Matty, thank you for loving our babies like your own and for being such an amazing uncle and godfather,” she wrote on Instagram in August 2024. “I can’t wait to return the honor when I become Tripp’s aunt.”
