NHL-Blue Jackets' Gaudreau dead at 31 after being struck by vehicle

(Reuters) -Columbus Blue Jackets standout Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother have died after being struck by a vehicle while riding bikes in New Jersey, the team and National Hockey League (NHL) announced on Friday.

Gaudreau, 31, spent 11 seasons as a forward in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Blue Jackets and earned the nickname 'Johnny Hockey' due to his infectious spirit for the game and electrifying talent on the ice.

"The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

"Gaudreau often told the story of how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey and he carried that same youthful passion throughout his 11 NHL seasons."

According to New Jersey State Police, the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee hit the Gaudreaus from behind on Thursday when trying to pass an SUV on the right that had moved over to make way for Gaudreau and his 29-year-old brother Matthew.

Police said the Gaudreaus sustained fatal injuries from the collision, which remains an active investigation, and that the driver of the vehicle was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and had been charged with two counts of death by auto.

"Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice," the Blue Jackets said. "He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets.

"He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him."

'BELOVED TEAMMATE'

Selected by Calgary with the 104th pick of the 2011 NHL Draft, Gaudreau was one of the top rookies in the 2014-15 season, scoring 24 goals and 64 points while helping the Flames to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Gaudreau, who won the NHL's Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for skill, sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct in 2017, had his best statistical season in the 2021-22 campaign when he finished second in the league with 115 points.

That off season the American was one of the top unrestricted free agents and he signed a seven-year, $68.25-million contract with Columbus and went on to be named an All-Star in 2023 for the seventh time in his career.

In 763 regular season NHL games, Gaudreau recorded 243 goals and 500 assists.

"Our hearts are broken by this devastating loss. Johnny was and always will be a member of the Flames family and loved by all of Calgary," the Flames said in a statement.

"It was our privilege to call Johnny our teammate for nine amazing years in Calgary. He came to Calgary as a young man and grew up here, not only as a superstar on the ice, but also a beloved member of our community."

Gaudreau's death prompted an outpouring of tributes from around the hockey world and beyond, including from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and four-time National Basketball Association champion LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Johnny Gaudreau may have come up from the States, but hockey fans in Calgary, and across Canada, will remember him as one of our own," Trudeau wrote on X. "Thinking of his teammates, friends, and the Gaudreau family today."

James wrote on social media: "My thoughts and prayers goes out to the Gaudreau family! May Johnny and Matthew fly high, guide/guard and bless their family/s from the heavens above."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Additional reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Jason Neely and Clare Fallon)