NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, were killed by a drunk driver in 2024.
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Johnny, a former All-Star and All-Rookie winner, and his brother Matthew were biking back from their sister's wedding rehearsal dinner when they were struck by a driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.
Two years later, their sister honored her late brother by naming her son after him.
Katie Gaudreau-Joyce announced in a post on Instagram that she and her husband welcomed the birth of their first child, Matthew Guy Joyce.
"The moment our hearts grew bigger than we ever imagined. Welcome to the world, sweet boy," Gaudreau-Joyce wrote.
Their sister postponed her wedding for about one year after the accident. She and Devin Joyce married in July 2025.
Hockey Players' Killer is Still on Trial
In May, a New Jersey judge denied an attempt to dismiss charges against Sean Higgins, the driver accused of killing the hockey players.
Attorneys for Higgins requested the dismissal of several charges. They also questioned the legitimacy of Higgins' blood alcohol level test results presented to the grand jury.
They allege that Higgins' blood levels were improperly logged by the hospital that drew his blood. Additionally, Higgins' defense attorneys argue that differences between serum and whole-blood testing methods may have affected the result, ABC 7 reported.
Assistant Prosecutor Michael Mestern countered that the evidence was accurately presented to the grand jury.
"There is credible evidence to support the claim that there was a BAC level of .087%. That was presented to the grand jury. There were no half-truths. There was no misleading or misdirection," said assistant prosecutor Michael Mestern.
Higgins is charged with two counts each of reckless vehicular homicide, aggravated manslaughter, evidence tampering, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 70 years in prison.
