In Memoriam Johnny Gaudreau & Matthew Gaudreau killed by drunk driver while cycling (MOD WARNING. No Flaming, Trolling, or Politics.)

[JPT]

If you're an alcoholic, get help. Anyone who thinks less of you for it isn't someone you want to deal with.

This should be on billboards

 

[MasterofGrond]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

 

[DingDongCharlie]

Horrible. What a devastating tragedy.

 

[Nunymare]

Here come the insane hot takes.

This is horrendous news though. And also focus on the mega-aggressive lane weaving as well.

Operating a motor vehicle is extremely dangerous with potentially deadly consequences, yet a lot of people drive with a false sense of security and take risks that endanger others, usually to save a marginal amount of time. As someone who commutes by bike fairly regularly, I can't even count the amount of times someone has done something stupid that could have killed me or someone else, only to catch up with them at a sign or light. And it's a regular occurrence whenever I have to drive somewhere too.

North American society seems to have normalized driving dangerously/entitled without significant repercussions, so you really only need to be in the wrong place at the wrong time for something like this to happen. It's so f***ing sad.

 

[luiginb]

I uhh, are you sure its the same guy? There is another Sean Higgins with a lot of charitable donation and two daughters who said it wasnt him involved last night.

Edit: Oh I see theres another one, neither really looks like this guy though....unless the second guy REALLY let himself go which would explain some things.

Same name, same hometown, it's him, he just gained a lot of weight from that last picture four years ago.

 

[Snatcher Demko]

RIP Johnny & Matthew. Unbelievably tragic for the family and their sister. Shocking.

He was a special player and I loved watching him.

 

[flying squirrel]

So tragic! Hope family, friends, and fans are able to find peace during such a terrible event.

Bikes are dangerous these days with smartphones, drinking, pharmaceuticals, and ratio/population --vs- same space ratio's makes better odds of bikers getting hit. Many many years later & money resources like no other entity throughout human history: But leaders, from all sides and areas, can't get better infrastructure that gives society separate roads for vehicles -vs- bikes? Not excusable! But hope all these new sports stadiums does city and society well, right?

Again, wish loved ones the best after such a loss

 

[Romang67]

His 2021-22 season was absolutely remarkable.

115 points, +64

Man...

That and his college career (NCAA winner in 2012 as a freshman, WJC winner in 2013, Hobey Baker winner in 2014) really were remarkable accomplishments. What a player.

 

[Schennanigans]

Jesus Christ. Fkn terrible news. So sorry for their family. Rip.

 

[tny760]

this kind of stuff is the reason i have to load up my bike into my stupid truck and drive it somewhere safe to ride. i hate that i have to do that but riding on the street is just so unsafe nowadays between the drunks, the phones and the people in a mindless hurry. so sad and pointless.

 

[MichaelFarrell]

My fiancée told me first thing this morning. I still can’t believe it. A childhood hero of mine and one of the greatest Americans to ever play the sport. I’m just sick to my stomach about him and his brother.

I’ll be thinking of the Gaudreau family and all the fans young and old that were inspired by Johnny like I was. This just f*cking sucks.

 

[GreeningOil]

Well there are allot of aggressive drivers, distracted drivers, angry drivers, cell phone usage drivers, I see them all every day and they are all very dangerous.

Looking at a street view and the surrounding area, not sure why those two were out on their bikes at that time of day and on that road. The driver is 100% to blame for being too aggressive, but everyone has to use common sense for self preservation. I wouldn't ride a bike on a road like that in full daylight.

Let’s not victim blame here. Plain and simple, selfishness killed 2 men.

 

[Armourboy]

Feel horrible for the family. I can remember how chaotic things were before we got married, I can't imagine how we would have dealt with something like this. It would be awful.

Hold your loved ones a little closer tonight, you never know when it will be your last chance too.

 

[Thirty Seven]

Terrible. My condolences to their Family and Friends.

 

[Voight]

Personally, I don't think enough is done to educate people who are high-risk for alcohol abuse, or to educate people about the warning signs that they may be falling into alcohol addiction. Though I do understand skepticism toward the efficacy of more education considering how alcohol is accepted and promoted in our society.

It's getting worse with social media. Kids see their favourite atheltes/celebrities partying it up all the time and they wanna be like them.

Side note, the current president and his predecessor are both lifelong teetotalers due to having alcoholics in their families.

 

[PenguinSuitedUp]

Man, I bike around NJ and have had a few close calls with very bad drivers. Honestly, I think I need to re-evaluate continuing my cycling hobby.

You're really in a vulnerable position on the road and have no idea when a driver is under the influence or going to do something unpredictable. I wear a helmet, but with the size of cars these days, you're more likely to get dragged under rather than end up on top of the hood if hit.

I've been sideswiped while on a bike but walked away with a few scratches. This spring though, I almost got completely nailed head-on at an intersection in Jersey City when a van ran a red light.

These brothers were likely out enjoying themselves and getting some exercise/fresh air. They deserved so much better. RIP.

Well there are allot of aggressive drivers, distracted drivers, angry drivers, cell phone usage drivers, I see them all every day and they are all very dangerous.

Looking at a street view and the surrounding area, not sure why those two were out on their bikes at that time of day and on that road. The driver is 100% to blame for being too aggressive, but everyone has to use common sense for self preservation. I wouldn't ride a bike on a road like that in full daylight.

Bicycling on main/busy roads is pretty normal in that region. There just isn’t the infrastructure or budget to support separate back paths from roads and make them reasonably accessible to everyone. So drivers are expected to be aware of their surroundings and know that bicyclists may be in the roads.

 

[Toene]

A lot of attention will rightfully get placed on this guy being drink, but I fear that not enough attention will get placed on the fact that this guy was probably a shitty driver even while sober. The actions he took were absolutely beyond reasonable and incredibly dangerous.

I heard that he tried to overtake a car from the right side. You kill two people because you can't wait a little moment. Stupidity and impatience.

 

[fasterthanlight]

Completely devastating. I'm so sorry for the Gaudreau family and for the hockey community. Our roadways are very dangerous and poorly designed. I'll keep trying to make the world safer for people outside of cars, whether they are hockey stars or not.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Going beyond the drunk driving aspect, I'm someone who bikes a lot and have friends that bike a lot, it's terrifying to know that this can happen to me or my friends as well. You're not "safe" just because you're in a bike lane or on the shoulder of the road.

This actually reminds me of when I almost got hit while biking in Pittsburgh by an asshole driver. I was trying to make a left turn, and this asshole driver speeds by me and goes into the opposite lane to pass me on the left. Had I turned any quicker, I would have been smoked by this car. Not just drunk drivers but normal drivers have no respect for the safety of cyclists.

Operating a motor vehicle is extremely dangerous with potentially deadly consequences, yet a lot of people drive with a false sense of security and take risks that endanger others, usually to save a marginal amount of time. As someone who commutes by bike fairly regularly, I can't even count the amount of times someone has done something stupid that could have killed me or someone else, only to catch up with them at a sign or light. And it's a regular occurrence whenever I have to drive somewhere too.

North American society seems to have normalized driving dangerously/entitled without significant repercussions, so you really only need to be in the wrong place at the wrong time for something like this to happen. It's so f***ing sad.

Said it even better than I could. This country as a whole willingly ignores the risks of driving a car and drivers regularly show no respect towards cyclists, pedestrians and other drivers.

 

[Romang67]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829535874302054873

 

[JKG33]

The idea of 'limits' directly leads to a guy drinking a 6-pack of beer and driving. The only limit you always know if you've overstepped is zero.
Also, not using psychoactive substances before driving isn't punishment, it's taking precautions not to hurt yourself and others.

Your average reasonable person knows their limits. The unreasonable people aren't out to follow the law regardless.

We're already in a severely overly policed state, I'd rather not add even more to it.

 

[nhlfan9191]

If you're an alcoholic, get help. Anyone who thinks less of you for it isn't someone you want to deal with.

I’ve always respected the hell out of recovering alcoholics that wear it like a badge of honour and don’t feel any shame for it. It’s not something people should be ashamed of but sadly not all of society views it the same way.

 

[Voight]

That's fair.

I hate how acceptable it is. It's everywhere. People seem to have access to booze or are able to consume it almost everywhere they go now and it bugs me. I'm almost glad I grew up in an alcoholic family because it turned me off of booze very early.

Thats actually why the current president and his predecessor are teetotalers. They had alcoholics in their families and it turned them away from the booze.

 

[Volica]

His 2021-22 season was absolutely remarkable.

115 points, +64

Man...

A lot of Flames fans will remember this.
Having the best line in hockey was... something. We're so used to being the middling, 'no one cares' team that having this guy along with his two linemates go absolutely berserk on the league was something so fun for not just fans, but the entire city. You felt the city buzzing on hockey days; people were tuning in and loving it.

Same as his breakout season with the Comeback Kids (Cardiac Kids).

Just fun.

I said it on the Flames board. It's a real shame how it all panned out between John and Calgary; how it ended bitterly and all the rumours an innuendo that surrounded his departure. I would have loved 10 years from now, the hatchet being fully burried and the two sides coming together; getting John's number either retired or having him join our weird Forever Flame program. I really hope this team retires 13. He was here for almost a decade, he's a top 5 point getter in our history, he's the reason anyone talked about Calgary from like 2015 through 22.

 

[SensFactor]

Unbelievably sad. Two brothers gone like that while out cycling. RIP.