Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith gushes over ‘Uncle Boone’ spending playful time with Noa & Erik Gudbranson’s daughter

Late Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau’s wife Meredith recently shared a heartwarming moment on social media. Meredith reposted a picture of her and Johnny’s daughter Noa and fellow teammate Erik Gudbranson’s daughter Zoey spending time with Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner.

“Uncle Booooneee,” Meredith captioned on Wednesday.

(Credit: IG/@meredithgaudreau_)

The original picture was posted by Jenner’s wife Maggie earlier in the day.

Boone and the rest of the Blue Jackets have rallied around Johnny’s family after he and his brother died in a road accident on Aug. 29 in Salem, New Jersey. Johnny and Matthew returned to their hometown for their younger sister Katie’s wedding.

They were riding bicycles on the side of the road at around 8 p.m. ET when they were struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee allegedly driven by Sean Higgins. Higgins was charged with driving while intoxicated, aggravated manslaughter and driving away from the scene of an accident.

The hockey community has held a series of memorial events to honor the Gaudreau brothers in the months after their accident. Gloucester Catholic, the high school Johnny and Matthew attended, is organizing a special memorial on Thursday ahead of a hockey game against St Peter’s Prep. The brothers won a state championship with the Gloucester Catholic Fighting Rams.

“This special event will honor the legacy of the Gaudreau brothers, John and Matthew, whose contributions to both the Gloucester Catholic community and the ice hockey program continue to resonate,” the school said in an official statement on Friday.

Sean Higgins’ attorneys claim that publicity over Johnny Gaudreau and his brother’s death affects their client’s rights

On Tuesday, Higgins’ lawyers Richard Klineburger and Matthew Portello filed a motion before Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio alleging that the publicity and high-profile nature of the victims was affecting the case against their client. They also filed a motion seeking more information about blood alcohol tests which allegedly showed that the brothers had been drinking on the night of the accident.

“We believe these filings are essential to ensuring that our client’s Constitutional rights are protected and that he is not being treated unfairly based upon the amount of publicity being garnered,” Higgins’ attorneys said in a statement, via NJ.com.

On Jan. 7, Higgins pled not guilty to all charges and rejected a plea deal that would have sentenced him to 35 years in prison. The prosecution is said to be preparing its motions rebutting the defense. Silvanio has set March 26 as the next hearing date.