Johnny Gaudreau's wife Meredith expresses heartfelt gratitude towards Zach Werenski after husband's tragic death

Late Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith thanked her husband’s teammate Zach Werenski for what he said about Johnny. The Blue Jackets alternate captain was interviewed by former NHL player Jason Demers on NHL Unscripted on Thursday.

Meredith posted an excerpt from the session on her Instagram story with a caption.

“So nice. Also want to mention how much Uncle Zach has stepped up for us too, @odette_peters,” Meredith wrote, tagging Zach’s fiancee Odette Peters.

(Credit: IG/@meredithgaudreau_)

During the show, Werenski talked about his bond with Johnny Gaudreau.

“We miss him too, but he’s gone but never forgotten,” Werenski said. “I only played with him for two years and it felt like I’ve played with him for my whole career...My first year, he actually used to drive me nuts because he’d be the last guy to show up to the rink and the first guy to leave.

"I was always like, ‘why is he doing this?’ And it was just because he wanted to get home to his wife and kids. I think I’ve learned so much from that where now, like, I don’t go to the rink longer than I have to be at the rink.”

The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman is one of the leading goalscorers among defensemen in the NHL this year. During the interview, he said that learning from Johnny has helped him find his best game this year.

“And I think what I learned most from John is go to the rink, enjoy it, be there for an hour or two hours and do your stuff and get what you need to get and then get out of there," Werenski added.

"Get home and be around the ones that you love…Honestly, I think it’s a big reason why I’m having success this year too, is I’m not just spending hours at the rink for no reason.”

Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were honored by their alma mater in a special ceremony

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were killed in a road accident on Aug. 29 in their hometown of Salem, New Jersey. They were riding bicycles when they were struck by a car driven by an allegedly drunk driver.

On Thursday, Gloucester Catholic, the brothers’ old high school, organized a special ceremony in their honor and shared a photo of the Gaudreau family at the event.

“Honoring John and Matt Gaudreau,” the post caption read.

Johnny and Matthew won the state hockey championship during their high school days. The school’s hockey team also held a puck drop ceremony before the game, which they said was “a tribute to the Gaudreau brothers and their impact on the school, the program, and the lives of those who knew them.”