Johnny Gaudreau and son, Johnny. Courtesy of Meredith Gaudreau/Instagram
Johnny Gaudreau’s 7-month-old son, his namesake, got into the fall spirit with an adorable pumpkin-themed photoshoot.
The late hockey player’s wife, Meredith Gaudreau, showed off the cute images via Instagram Story on Wednesday, October 9. Taken by Meredith’s sister, Lily, baby Johnny was plopped down inside a pumpkin with holes for his legs while sitting in front of a giant Frankenstein scarecrow.
“My big boy 💙,” Meredith captioned one of the photos.
Lily also shared the images via her Instagram Story. “Happy fall from Johnny Pumpkinseed,” she captioned one. Another read, “He ended up liking it.”
Meredith and Johnny shared son Johnny and daughter Noa, who celebrated her 2nd birthday last month. At the memorial service for Johnny and his younger brother Matthew Gaudreau on September 9, Meredith revealed she was nine weeks pregnant with the couple’s third baby.
Johnny, a forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew, a former collegiate hockey player at Boston College, were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding their bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey on August 29.
During her emotional eulogy, Meredith managed to lighten the mood by noting how proud her late husband was of their son’s measurements.
“John would want me to take this time to mention baby Johnny’s size,” she said with a laugh. “He’s in the 93rd percentile for his weight, which is something Daddy is very proud of. ‘A little unit,’ he would always say.”
Matthew Gaudreau and his wife, Madeline Gaudreau, were together for nearly 15 years — and married three — before his untimely death. “Best 14 years of my life 🤍 I will cherish those years and you for the rest of my life,” Madeline wrote via Instagram in September 2024 days after her husband and his […]
Meredith also vowed to have baby Johnny follow in the hockey footsteps of his father, who was preparing to enter his 11th season in the NHL before his death.
“John, I promise to have baby Johnny on skates soon and to be a dedicated hockey mom that drives any distance to all the tournaments,” Meredith said. “I’ll wake up early for the games, even if that means baby Johnny shows up in Winnie the Pooh pajamas and sleeps on the bench, just like you did.”
In one of the most poignant moments of her speech at the memorial service, Meredith recalled the moment she told her late husband she was pregnant with baby Johnny.
“I’ve never seen John so surprised in his life,” Meredith said. “He was so proud, immediately shedding happy tears and absolutely beaming. He kept looking at me and saying, ‘I cannot believe you gave me a boy.’”
