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NHL players to honor Gaudreau brothers with helmet decals

Former NHL star Johnny Gaudreau (pictured) and his brother, Matthew, were killed Aug. 29 when they were hit by a car while riding their bikes in Salem County, N.J. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Former NHL star Johnny Gaudreau (pictured) and his brother, Matthew, were killed Aug. 29 when they were hit by a car while riding their bikes in Salem County, N.J. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 30 (UPI) -- NHL players will honor the Gaudreau brothers, who were killed last month while riding their bikes, by wearing special helmet decals to start the 2024-25 regular season, the league announced Monday.

The decals feature the letter G at the center, flanked by No. 13 on the left for Johnny Gaudreau and No. 21 on the right for Matthew Gaudreau.

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Johnny Gaudreau, a winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew Gaudreau, a former minor-league player, were killed Aug. 29 when they were hit by a car in Salem County, N.J.

The had been bicycling home to attend their sister's wedding. Both were to be groomsmen.

The driver of the car that hit them, 43-year-old Sean Higgins, was charged with two counts of death by auto, reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Players from the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres will be the first to wear the decals when they face off in the NHL's regular-season opener at 1 p.m. EDT Friday in Prague, Czech Republic.

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NHL teams have honored the Gaudreau brothers with tribute videos before games this preseason. The Blue Jackets and Devils, two of Johnny's former teams, held candlelight vigils for the brothers.

The Sabres and Devils will play another game Saturday in Prague. The NHL season will start in North America on Oct. 8, with six teams in action.

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Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford arrives at Cosmopolitan's Cosmo 100 event in New York City on November 12, 2012. Bradford, whose books have sold more than 91 million copies including "A Woman of Substance," "The Heir," and "The Wonder of it All," died at the age of 91 on November 24. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

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