"Forever a family of 6": Johnny Gaudreau's sister Katie pens message on mourning family's first Thanksgiving without brothers

Johnny Gaudreau's family had their first Thanksgiving without him and his brother, Matthew, with heavy hearts. The former Columbus Blue Jackets forward and his brother Matthew died in a cycling accident on August 29. The brothers were struck by a vehicle in New Jersey, one day before serving as groomsmen at their sister’s wedding. Their loss has deeply affected their family and loved ones.

Johnny’s sister, Katie, shared a heartfelt message on Instagram during this difficult time. She posted a photo featuring Johnny, Matthew, and their parents, Jane and Guy Gaudreau. Along with the photo, Katie wrote,

"Forever a family of six."

via Instagram/@kgaudreau13

On Sunday, Katie also reshared a throwback photo from eight years ago of happier times. The picture showed the siblings and their partners sitting together on a couch.

Matthew and his wife, Madeline, sat beside Johnny Gaudreau, Katie, their eldest sister Kristen, and Kristen's husband. Madeline wore a light gray sweater, and Matthew wore a gray tracksuit jacket with a dark cap. Kristen sported a green Philadelphia Eagles hoodie, and Katie wore a checkered shirt. Kristen’s husband sat on the floor in a red baseball cap and a gray Eagles sweatshirt.

Kristen captioned the photo:

“Happy Thanksgiving! ❤️ missin @johngaudreau03 #thankful.”

Madeline Gaudreau shares Thanksgiving tribute to Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau

On Thanksgiving, Madeline Gaudreau shared a touching Instagram tribute to Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau. She posted a photo of the brothers sitting together with their arms around each other, writing:

"Happy Thanksgiving you two."

via Instagram/@mogaudreau

Madeline, who is expecting her first child, and Johnny's wife, Meredith, who is also pregnant, have supported each other through the loss. Meredith shared on Instagram that the brothers are "best friends" despite having different personalities.

"John and Matty. U don’t hear one name without the other. Always side by side. Even in large group settings, u can find them hip to hip. John’s younger brother- but he looked up to Matty and relied on him for everythinggg.

"And Matty was always there. Absolute best friends and biggest fans of each other despite polar opposite personalities. Everyone wanted to be around them, including me. I would sit back and watch John genuinely love his time with his brother," she wrote.

The crash had a deep impact on the Gaudreau family.