Johnny Gaudreau’s Widow Meredith Says She’s Having a ‘Hard Time’ as Daughter Noa Approaches 2nd Birthday

Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of Johnny Gaudreau, is adjusting to life without the late NHL star.

On Friday, Sept. 20, Meredith posted three interview clips of Johnny on Instagram, including one in which he spoke about becoming a new father with local network WBNS in October 2022.

Sharing the throwback footage, Meredith wrote that she’s “having a hard time” as their daughter Noa’s second birthday approaches in the coming weeks. Johnny and his brother Matthew Gaudreau were killed on Aug. 29, when an alleged drunk driver crashed into them on their bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. (Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.)

“She loves watching videos of daddy before bed especially her requests for ‘daddy hockey’ which led me to these videos,” Meredith wrote of Noa. “She loves watching him play and cheering for him through the screen. His biggest fan.”

As Meredith explained, Noa and her dad “loved each other so much” and she “even has the same freckle as him on her right cheek.”

“And as she approaches turning 2 I have been told their personalities are getting to be more and more similar ❤️ and I can’t wait for that to continue,” she concluded the post.

In a follow-up clip from the same interview, in which Johnny explained that “the most important thing” to him was being near his family when it came to the team he played for, Meredith elaborated on her admiration for her husband.

“My perfect husband. I want to say that watching these videos has me feeling so thankful but to be honest I never once didn’t feel like the luckiest most grateful girl in the world since the day I met him,” Meredith wrote in her second caption. “Videos like this [are] why. I love you so much John. Thank you for being the perfect husband.”

In a final Instagram post, Meredith shared an interview clip of Johnny speaking about Sean Monahan, his close friend and a fellow NHL player. The pair were teammates on the Calgary Flames for eight seasons before Johnny signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022.

“Watching Sean wear CBJ is something I know John always always wanted,” Meredith said. “Noa loves cheering for Uncle Sean too. Wishing 23 a good training camp and can’t wait to cheer you on.”

Meredith and Johnny are parents to daughter Noa, who is nearing her second birthday, and son Johnny, 7 months. During Johnny’s memorial service earlier this month, Meredith announced that she’s expecting another child with her late husband next year. She said that creating “a family of five” is 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,” Meredith stated.

Earlier this week, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that its players will wear stickers on their helmets and patches on their uniforms honoring Johnny this season.

The organization will also hold a moment of silence before the team’s first home preseason game and will have a 50/50 raffle throughout the preseason to benefit the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation.