Family Friend Honors Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau at Sister’s Wedding

Katie Gaudreau is getting married on Friday, July 11, and one of her friends will be sure the bride’s late brothers, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, are represented.

Jamie Hill, a longtime friend of the Gaudreau family, shared a photo of his wedding day socks via Instagram on Friday morning. One is emblazoned with the initials JG, and the other, MG.

Katie, 26, is set to marry fiancé Devin Joyce in Philadelphia almost a year after her brothers’ unexpected deaths forced them to postpone.

Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver the night before the wedding while riding their bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on August 29, 2024. Johnny was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets at the time, while Matthew played collegiate hockey at Boston College.

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's Initials Added to Sister Katie's Wedding Ring

Hill revealed in January that he will stand in Johnny’s place at the wedding, sharing a handwritten note from Katie and Devin, in which they called him Katie’s “additional big brother.”

“I’m beyond honored to stand in my best friends place to watch his little sister walk down the aisle and marry her best friend,” he wrote in the caption. “Katie and Dev I know both John and ‘Matty will be with you on your special day. They’re so proud of the people you have become and love you so much. I miss my boys so much, everyday feels like a bad dream but I know they’ll be watching on this day ”

Katie replied to the post with, “Love you so much.”

Courtesy of Katie Gaudreau/Instagram

Hill also promised to be there for both former athletes’ families as they navigated such a difficult time in their lives.

Johnny married his wife, Meredith Gaudreau, in 2021, and the couple welcomed daughter Noa in 2022 and son Johnny Jr. in February 2024. Meredith announced in September while giving her husband’s eulogy that the couple was expecting a third child, and their son Carter was born in April 2025. Matthew and his wife, Madeline Gaudreau, also married in 2021, and Madeline gave birth to son Tripp in December, four months after the accident.

Katie Gaudreau Says Late Bros Johnny, Matthew Will Be 'Dancing' at Wedding

“Dear John and matty I swear to you both aunt V and uncle Jame will be there to help Meredith and madeline get through this tragic time,” Hill wrote via Instagram in September. “They are stronger beyond belief. Your kids will know how great, loving, caring, selfless and overall good human beings you were, all the amazing times we had and how much they were loved by you guys. My heart aches and I don’t think this hole will ever go away. Just know we will love your kids and be there no matter what you have my word. Until we meet again I love you my brothers.”