Tributes for NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother streamed in Friday as the star forward’s death left the hockey community reeling. 

Johnny, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed Thursday night when they were hit by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey, police said Friday.

Johnny “was more than just a dazzling hockey player,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement. “He was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path.”

Johnny leaves behind two young children and his wife Meredith.

WATCH | NHL mourns star forward’s death: 

NHL reeling after forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother killed while cycling in New Jersey

NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, a 31-year-old forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his younger brother Matthew were killed Thursday night when they were hit by a car while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey.

“Johnny Hockey,” as he was known, has played 11 professional seasons in the league and was going into his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets mourned his loss in a statement on X.

He played his first nine seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favourite across North America. 

“It’s with great sadness, we mourn the tragic deaths of our friend Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau,” the Flames said in a post on social media platform X. “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.”

“Completely gutted. The world just lost one of the best,” Flames forward Blake Coleman posted on the social media site X. “RIP Johnny.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a post on X, “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.”

“Thinking of his teammates, friends, and the Gaudreau family today.”

USA Hockey said: “Words cannot appropriately express the sorrow the hockey community is feeling.”

Prominent basketball and baseball players sent their condolences to the Gaudreau family.

“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,” NBA star LeBron James, who grew up in Akron, Ohio, said on social media.

“Devastated by the loss of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Sending my deepest condolences and love to their family,” said MLB star Mike Trout.

Several other NHL teams also joined in the outpouring of grief. 

“The Toronto Maple Leafs join the entire hockey community in mourning the sudden and tragic passing of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew.”

“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the Gaudreau family, their friends, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames organizations, and all those who knew and loved Johnny and Matthew during this unimaginably difficult time.”

Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving put out a statement saying,”I am absolutely devastated by the news of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew’s passing. John was a truly special player, dazzling on the ice with his incredible talent, but what made him truly special was the person he was off the ice.”

“Trying to find the right words today is not easy,” Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson said in a post on X.

“You were a hell of a hockey player but it’s the person Johnny that always is going to be with me, one of my closest friends, it didn’t matter if we hadn’t spoken in a day or a week we always knew where we had each other!”

Marty Walsh, executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, called Johnny “a joy to watch during his 10 years and 763 games in the NHL.”

Walsh noted Johnny’s hockey career at Boston College where he and Matthew both played. He said Matthew went on to play professional hockey in the AHL and ECHL.

“The players and staff of the NHLPA are devastated by these​ terrible losses. We express our sincerest condolences to the entire Gaudreau family — Johnny’s wife, Meredith, and their children, Noa and Johnny; Matthew’s wife, Madeline; their parents, Guy and Jane; and their sisters, Kristen and Katie.” 

A memorial was set up outside the Nationwide Arena in Columbus as fans left bouquets and pictures.

Longtime NHL executive Brian Burke, who had Johnny in Calgary and with the U.S. national team, said it could not be overstated just what a joy it was to have him around. 

“First and foremost, Johnny was always the first to raise his hand to give back to the community,” Burke wrote in a statement on X. 

“What I will remember most was his happiness, enthusiasm, and kindness that radiated out through the locker room every day.”

Former Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent, now the coach of the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket, said it was a privilege to get to know “the real Johnny Gaudreau — the person behind the hockey player.”

“He was a humble and unassuming young man with extraordinary talent, who never sought to be in the spotlight,” Vincent said in a statement sent through the Montreal Canadiens. “Instead, he enjoyed life’s simple pleasures and possessed a quiet strength of character. His passion for the game and exceptional hockey sense allowed him to achieve greatness, yet he remained grounded and true to himself.

Jerry York, who coached the Gaudreau brothers at Boston College, said the news was devastating. “Both Matty and Johnny were terrifically admired by all of us,” he said in a phone interview with the Associated Press. “Wonderful young guys, and they impressed a lot of us off the ice.”

WATCH | Gaudreau lifts Flames to 2022 1st-round series win in Game 7: 

Johnny Hockey pots OT winner as Flames eliminate Stars

Johnny Gaudreau scored in the opening frame of overtime to hand Calgary a 3-2 win over Dallas, winning the series 4-3

The Tsuut’ina Nation, located southwest of Calgary, mourned the death of “an instant fan favourite.”

“It’s no secret that most Tsuut’ina people are rabid hockey fans, and this news hits hard,” Tsuut’ina Chief Roy Whitney said in a statement.

“Johnny was simply magical on the ice. I cannot remember another player with such skating skill and such mastery of the game, and yet with a gentle demeanour and humility that made him an instant fan favourite.”

“On behalf of everyone at Tsuut’ina, I wish God’s peace to his entire beloved family. Johnny will live on in our hearts.”

Johnny Gaudreau, at five-foot-nine and 180 pounds, was part of a generation of hockey players who thrived in an era of speed and skill that made being undersized less of a disadvantage. He scored 20-plus goals six times and was a 115-point player in 2021-22 as a first-time NHL all-star when he had a career-best 40 goals and 75 assists.

“He’ll be an inspiration for a lot of kids, especially those smaller kids who were told you’re not going to be able to make it whether it’s hockey or some other sport. You’re not the right size, it’s not the right fit for you,” Sean McIndoe, senior NHL writer at The Athletic, told CBC News.

“They can look at him and say this is the guy who defied those odds and kept going and made it and became a superstar.”

WATCH | Gaudreau will be remembered as an inspiration to kids: 

Gaudreau defied the odds to become an NHL star, writer says

Sean McIndoe, senior NHL writer at the Athletic, says Johnny Gaudreau will be remembered as a ‘great family man’ and an inspiration for a lot of kids, especially those who have been told they won’t make it in their sport of choice due to their size. ‘Even as the smallest player on the ice just about all the time, he’s out there putting up fantastic numbers,’ McIndoe said of the Columbus Blue Jackets star, who died Thursday at the age of 31.