The hockey community has shown up in support of the Gaudreau family after the tragic death of brothers Johnny and Matthew.
The two were killed when cycling the night before their sister’s wedding. They were hit by a drunk driver who was driving aggressively.
In the days following the incident, more sad news became public, including the fact that Matthew’s wife, Madeline, is pregnant with the couple’s first child. A GoFundMe was subsequently set up to raise funds for Madeline and baby Tripp.
While the donation campaign was set up with the goal of raising US$30,000, it quickly surpassed that number.
As of today, the fundraiser has received nearly US$600,000 in donations. It has far surpassed the original goal as the hockey community has come together to support the Gaudreau family.
There have been more than 8,000 unique donators and among them are many prominent NHLers.
Some of the NHLers (or members of their families) who have donated to the fundraiser include Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Keith Yandle, Jared Spurgeon, Corey Perry, Matthew Tkachuk, Pekka Rinne, Sean Monahan, and Adam Fox, among many others.
Several of the donations from the names mentioned above were for more than US$1,000 and have helped the campaign grow significantly.
Many donors, including those in the NHL and not, donated with some combination of 13 or 21 in the dollar amount. Those were the numbers worn by Johnny and Matthew and thus carry a special significance.
The top donations, of which there are three, to the fundraiser so far are for US$10,000. One was made by the Koepka family, likely that of professional golfer Brooks Koepka; one from Cliff Rucker, who owns the ECHL team where Matthew played; and another was made anonymously.
If you would like to support the Gaudreau family after this tragic incident, you can donate to the GoFundMe.