Matthew Gaudreau's wife Madeline shares emotional 'Father's day' poetry in memory of late husband

Since the tragic death of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau in late August last year, the Guadreau family has been paying special tributes to the memory of their loved ones from time to time. On Saturday, Matthew Gaudreau’s wife Madeline reposted an emotional poem on her Instagram stories in honor of Father’s Day.

The post featured a poem by writer Sara Rian titled "father’s day." The piece speaks to those grieving a father figure, encouraging them to feel their emotions, honor their memories and celebrate them even after they are gone.

“As Father’s Day approaches, i am sending love to those who feel their heart sink at the very thought 🫂,” read the caption of the original post.

Madeline reposted the poem from the Instagram account @sara_rian_books, pairing it with the song "Dance With My Father" by Cam Noble.

via Instagram/@mogaudreau

Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau were tragically killed on Aug. 29 last year when an alleged drunk driver, Sean Higgins, struck them while they were bicycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. The incident occurred the day before their sister Katie's wedding.

Higgins faced multiple charges including two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, among others. In January, he rejected a 35-year plea deal and could face up to 70 years in prison if proven guilty.

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Matthew Gaudreau’s wife launched special apparel collection in his memory

Earlier last month, Matthew Gaudreau’s wife Madeline announced the launch of a special clothing line in his memory. The collection was designed in partnership with BLK The Label and went live on June 1.

In a special Instagram post, Madeline mentioned that the line was inspired from Matthew’s simple and comfortable style, featuring sweat suits and bright colors like green, which he loved. She also included a bucket hat in the collection as it was Matthew’s favorite summer accessory.

“It was such an honor designing this with BLK The Label. If you know Matty you know he was always in his ‘comfies’ I wanted to make sure that we had a sweat suit that spoke to his style which is simple and also comfortable,” Madeline wrote.

Madeline then explained that she made sure to include youth sizes because after retiring, Matthew spent much time coaching youth hockey. Madeline wanted the kids he taught along with his nieces and nephews to wear something created in his honor.

Madeline expressed how important the clothing line is to her and hoped others will love it as much as she does.