Johnny Gaudreau's sister Katie pens heartfelt message on mother Jane's birthday

Late NHLer Johnny Gaudreau’s mother Jane celebrated her birthday this week. On Sunday, Johnny’s sister Katie shared a heartfelt note wishing her mother on the special day.

Katie Gaudreau shared a collage of throwback photos on her Instagram stories this weekend. The tribute featured special moments of Jane with her kids, Johnny, Matthew, Kristen and Katie, and husband Guy Gaudreau.

One of the photos showed Jane posing with Katie and raising a glass. Another showed her sitting on a boat surrounded by her grandchildren. A third showed Guy Gaudreau and the four siblings in athletic gear standing together with Jane in the center.

In the caption, Katie wrote:

“Happy Birthday to our queen @jgaudreau311”

“The leader of our family. We love you,” she added.

The final image of the collage showed the whole family gathered in front of a green backdrop with white balloons and a “love” sign. Jane stood in the middle surrounded by her loved ones.

Johnny Gaudreau’s family moved by his NHL Quarter Century Team nomination

Earlier last month, Johnny Gaudreau was named to the NHL All Quarter-Century Team. The honor recognized the best players who started their careers after 2010.

Gaudreau played 11 seasons in the NHL, during which he scored 243 goals and had 500 assists in 763 games. He spent eight seasons with the Calgary Flames before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022.

Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, reacted to the news on Instagram with loving words.

“Forever cheering you on, my husband!! Congratulations on the quarter century team. We are all so proud to be yours!” she wrote.

Meredith also posted photos of their kids, Noa and baby Johnny, wearing custom jackets to celebrate their dad’s achievement.

Johnny’s parents, Guy and Jane Gaudreau, posted a joint statement from their family foundation’s Instagram account. The post featured a throwback picture of Johnny with his parents holding a gameday puck during his time in Calgary.

“We are overwhelmed with pride and emotion to see our son John named to the NHL All Quarter-Century Team. This honor recognizes his truly special talent. He so loved being with his teammates playing the game,” the statement read.

They also mentioned this NHL recognition reminds them that Johnny and his brother Matthew’s impact still lives on. The Gaudreau family continues to honor both sons through the causes and values they cared about.

Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew died last August after being hit by a vehicle while cycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. The driver, Sean Higgins, had been drinking and was charged with aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide. He pleaded not guilty in January this year. The next court hearing is scheduled for June 10, 2025.

About the author

Anjum is an NHL reporter at Sportskeeda with over five years of professional experience in the spectator sports industry. Raised in Bahrain, Anjum grew up close to the Formula 1 and GP2 scene, but it was ice-sports that she truly had a chance to play at school.

Anjum prioritizes thorough research, fact-checking and verification of sources when reporting, and has worked for Oil on Whyte, Leafs Herald, the Nation of Blaugrana, Barca International Cules, FromTheBend, Last Word On Sports and NASA.

She got interested in ice hockey after watching the “MVP” trilogy as a second grader and has not gotten over the sport yet. Her favorite player is Alex Ovechkin, whose legendary one-timers live rent free in her heart. The iconic moment when Ovechkin reached 800 career goals with a hat trick in Chicago as the away crowd chanted “Ovi, Ovi” is probably her happiest memory from an ice-rink.

When not enjoying the game, Anjum can be found sailing, star-mapping or collaborating with fellow citizen scientists at NASA.

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Edited by Anjum Rajonno