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Dubuque Fighting Saints honor Gaudreau brothers

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Dubuque, Iowa – Before their game on Saturday, the Dubuque Fighting Saints honored Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who used to play hockey for the team.

They were both killed in a car accident in August.

Fans of the Dubuque Fighting Saints have come to expect a lot of cowbells and pucks hitting the glass.

But Saturday night’s game was also a tribute to one of the best players the team has ever had.

Fans, family, and friends came together to celebrate Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.
They were riding their bikes on a rural New Jersey road on August 29 when they were hit by an SUV and killed.

“We probably wouldn’t be where we are now if he wasn’t so great this year.” “What he did afterward was amazing to see,” said Josh Starr, who calls games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Though Gaudreau only played for Dubuque for one year, people still remember what he brought to the team and what he left behind when he went to play in the NHL for 11 years.

He was an NHL all-star and scored 100 points in the NHL, but I think it’s more about the person he is. “That’s probably why there are so many people here,” Starr said.

They played a song in honor of the Gaudreau boys, and the Gaudreau family threw the first pucks of the night.

His number 8 is the first number that the Fighting Saints have ever retired. It is now displayed next to the banner from the team’s title season.

“He set that standard that you can be small but still do well at this level if you work hard and love your game enough,” Starr said.

The USHL will also always remember Gaudreau’s name. The league commissioner announced a new award that will be given every year to players who showed the Gaudreau boys’ spirit on and off the court.

 

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