"Hottest dentist, mama and bff": Johnny Gaudreau's wife Meredith pens heartfelt birthday wish for Erik Gudbranson's wife Sarah

Late Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith posted a special message on Instagram on Sunday. She wished her husband’s former teammate Erik Gudbranson’s wife Sarah a happy birthday.

Meredith and Sarah are close friends and have regularly shared emotional and heartfelt messages on social media.

“Bday bagging rights!!!- Hottest dentist, mama and bff. Ur just it. Simply. Happiest birthday wishes to my girl. U are it. Here’s to more twinning together and making memories together. Family. ILYSM,” Meredith wrote.

Meredith also shared a photo collage in the Instagram Story. Two of the photos featured her and Sarah, while a third one showed them with their husbands.

In January, while wishing Meredith a happy birthday, Sarah posted a collage of the fun times she has had with Meredith and their friends.

"Hbd QUEEN @meredithgaudreau ilysm," Sarah wrote.

(Credit: IG/@sarahsweetnam)

Johnny and his brother Matthew were bicycling on the side of the road on Aug. 29 in their hometown of Oldmans Township, New Jersey, when they were struck by a car allegedly driven by a drunk driver. The brothers died in the accident. Johnny’s teammates, the Blue Jackets and the hockey community have organized several events to honor their memories in the months since their death.

During the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February, Team USA presented a team jersey with Johnny’s name and his No. 13 jersey number to the player of the game in his honor. They also invited his father, Guy, to a special memorial dinner and had him join them for morning practice ahead of the tournament.

Johnny Gaudreau’s family leads Blue Jackets onto the ice for NHL Stadium Series

On March 1, Meredith Gaudreau led the Columbus Blue Jackets team out of the tunnel for their game against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 NHL Stadium Series. The special event has become an annual tradition in the league and involves two franchises playing a game at a neutral venue. This season, it was held at the open-air Ohio Stadium.

Meredith was accompanied by her and Johnny’s kids, daughter Noa and son Johnny Jr., as well as Johnny and Matthew’s mother, Jane. Erik Gudbranson and Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan also walked beside them.

The NHL’s official account posted a video of the event on X (formerly Twitter).

“For No. 13 💜 #StadiumSeries,” the NHL captioned.

Johnny was the leading scorer for the Blue Jackets in each of his two seasons with the franchise.