Funerals for John and Matthew Gaudreau planned for Philadelphia

Funerals for John and Matthew Gaudreau are scheduled for Monday at a suburban Philadelphia church while the driver accused of killing them remains in jail awaiting his next court appearance.

The memorial service for the Gaudreau brothers will be held at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pa. The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, for whom Gaudreau played and who was known in the game as “Johnny Hockey,” said the team will broadcast the service on its website.

The Gaudreau brothers died last week, killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding their bikes in their home state of New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding. Sean M. Higgins appeared virtually for his first pretrial hearing Thursday. The judge postponed the hearing until Sept. 13 to give attorneys more time to prepare.

Higgins, 43, is being held in a Salem County jail. He is charged with two counts of causing death by motor vehicle, as well as reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Attorneys Matthew Portella and Richard Klineburger III said Higgins hired them to represent him.

“This is a tragedy that has stirred up a great deal of emotion and has affected many people,” they said in a statement. “It is too early in the legal process to make any statements outside of court.”

Many members of the hockey community, from Columbus to South Jersey to Boston College, where the Gaudreaus played, are expected to join family and friends for the funeral. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said the entire team will be in attendance, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also plans to attend.

The Rev. Eric J. Banecker said in a letter to parents that St. Mary Magdalen School would be closed Monday for the service.

“This will be an extraordinarily important funeral for two young men, one of whom was a professional hockey player,” Banecker wrote in the letter posted on social media. “The fact is that we cannot guarantee a safe school day and outing given the expected crowds. I ask that you consider this inconvenience a small sacrifice that will help ease some of the pain for John and Matthew’s parents, wives, children, siblings, loved ones and friends.”

Fans and current and former players paid tribute to John and Matthew at candlelight vigils in Columbus, Ohio, and Calgary, Alberta, on Wednesday night. A 13-minute, 21-second silent memorial service was held outside the Blue Jackets’ arena downtown, as a slideshow of photos from the siblings’ childhoods, teens, college hockey, pro hockey, weddings, baptisms and lives filled with joy and love was played.

The crowd outside the Flames arena in Calgary swelled to several thousand, with fans chanting “Johnny! Johnny!”

Lewis Gross, the brothers’ longtime agent, said Thursday it took him a while to write about what the 15 years representing them meant to him, including being part of the extended Gaudreau family.

“I never thought the worst would happen like it did,” Gross wrote on social media. “Hockey may be over, but my commitment to John and Matt will last a lifetime. These boys taught me a lot. They taught me what family truly means.”

Obituaries posted Thursday directed contributions to the John & Matthew Gaudreau Foundation, in care of Gross at Sports Professional Management in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

USA Hockey CEO Pat Kelleher opened the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024 speech by continuing to think and pray for the Gaudreau family. Kevin Stevens, one of the inductees, played at BC three decades before John and Matthew.

“The last week has been horrible,” Stevens said. “It’s just heartbreaking. It’s unimaginable, something you never want to have to deal with. We’re all coming together and trying to do the best we can to make this happen one way or another.”