Matthew Tkachuk and other NHL stars reportedly donate to support Matthew Gaudreau's wife & unborn baby following his tragic death

Johnny Gaudreau’s death has left the hockey world reeling. But Matthew Gaudreau, Johnny’s younger brother, was also an unfortunate victim of a tragic car accident on Thursday.

While he did play pro hockey, Matthew never made it to the NHL. He spent parts of five seasons in the ECHL with the Reading Royals, the Philadelphia Flyers’ ECHL affiliate.

Matthew Tkachuk and other NHL stars have contributed to a GoFundMe campaign to support Matthew Gaudreau’s wife. Matthew's wife Madeline is expecting a child, prompting the campaign's launch. The devastating loss has led NHLers to band together in support of Gaudreau’s family.

In addition to Tkachuk, Los Angeles Kings players Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe have donated to the GoFundMe campaign.

The campaign kicked off with a $30K goal. At the time of writing, the campaign has surpassed the $220K mark.

Other notable stars chipping in include Steven Stamkos, Jack Roslovic, Andrew Peeke, Darcy Tucker, Mark Jankowski, and Frank Vatrano, among the more than 3,000 donors thus far. Some donations have been made under “anonymous.” So, it remains to be seen which other NHL stars have contributed.

The Philadelphia Flyers pay tribute to Matthew Gaudreau

The Gaudreau brothers, born in New Jersey, had close ties to Philadelphia. The pair grew up as Philadelphia Flyers fans, playing for the Little Flyers, a junior hockey team located in Aston, Pennsylvania.

As professionals, the Gaudreau brothers maintained close ties to the Philadelphia-area hockey community. That connection prompted the Philadelphia Flyers to release an official statement:

“Deeply rooted in the Philadelphia and New Jersey community, where they spent their entire childhood on the ice.”

The Flyers’ organization also acknowledged the brothers’ contributions to the local community. The statement underscored this point as follows:

"Throughout all of their success in the hockey world, both continued to give back to our community," the statement added, “Johnny and Matthew, as well as the entire Gaudreau family, have made a sizable difference in the lives of so many in the Philadelphia area to learning and growing to love the sport of hockey.”

Like the Flyers, the entire league has come in support of the Gaudreau family. While nothing could ever make up for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s loss, the outpouring of grief and sympathy can, in some way, help the healing process.