MLB Teams Pay Their Respects To Johnny And Matthew Gaudreau
The deaths of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, stunned the hockey world, but the tragedy also sent shockwaves throughout all of sports, as could be seen with the emotional tributes from some Major League Baseball teams, including the Gaudreau brothers' hometown Philadelphia Phillies.
The Gaudreaus hailed from South Jersey, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, and were known to be big Philly sports fans.
The Phillies took some time to show their respects to the late brothers on Friday night during their game against the Atlanta Braves.
The Phillies weren't alone in this and several other MLB teams took some time to pay their respects to the late hockey players, including both teams in Ohio, where Gaudreau spent his final two seasons in the National Hockey League.
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels also took a moment to remember the Gaudreaus.
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, was a Hobey Baker Award winner as the best player in college hockey while at Boston College before moving on to the NHL where he spent 11 seasons with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets. He appeared in more than 700 regular season games and was a seven-time NHL All-Star.
Matthew Gaudreau, 29, also attended Boston College and went on to play in the American Hockey League and the ECHL before turning his attention to coaching high school players in the Philadelphia area.
The Gaudreaus were killed while riding their bikes on Thursday night in New Jersey, just hours before they were to take part in their sister's wedding after being hit by an alleged drunk driver.
The wedding has been canceled in light of what transpired and tributes from around the hockey world — as well as heartbreaking words from Johnny Gaudreau's widow — have been flooding social media since the news broke.