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Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau's deaths this week made the world stand still for hockey fans. The heartbreaking news, which came less than a day before the Gaudreau brothers' sister was set to get married, took the NHL community by surprise, shattering the hearts of fans around the league.
Despite this, ESPN's "First Take" broadcast did not address the matter on Friday morning, following Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's deaths late Thursday night.
Sean Higgins, the man accused of the two brothers' killings, appeared in court on Friday. The virtual court appearance took place at the same time as Gaudreau's sister was set to be married; however, as a result of the tragedy, the wedding was canceled.
Despite the tragedy and the series of follow-up developments that followed, ESPN didn't make mention of the situation on Friday. With all major sports leagues in the US, except the MLB, currently in an offseason, many fans expected ESPN to cover the tragedy at length. Instead, the show didn't make mention of the tragedy:
The NHL community was left disappointed by the network's handling of the situation:
"Shameful" - One wrote
"It’s hockey. They don’t care about anything in or around the sport. The NHL could disappear and they wouldn’t mention it. Shameful." - Another wrote
Others took aim at ESPN:
"Espn has been shit for years do you expect anything different?" - One wrote
"They probably would've had to explain to Stephen A who Johnny Gaudreau was. And he still probably wouldn't do it in the name of ratings. Embarrassing that the ethics and decency have been trumped by ratings." - Another added
Others took a dig at the show:
"But First Take will discuss DAILY 365 x 7 the Lakers and Cowboys but NOT mention this?? It’s a complete travesty!" - One wrote
"What a disgrace if a show" - Another added
Johnny Gaudreau's wife reacts for first time after unimaginable tragedy
On Saturday, Johnny Gaudreau's widow, Meredith, broke her silence on the tragedy, posting on Instagram, writing:
"Thank you for the best years of my life. Despite losing you, I am still the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours. I love you so so much. You were perfect. Some days it felt too good to be true. I love every single thing about you.
"You are my forever and I can’t wait to be with you again. I love you so much forever and ever"
She then followed it up with another post, where she wrote about the NHL star being a great dad to their two kids, as seen below.
Following Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau's deaths, many shared heartfelt messages of support for the Gaudreau family during this difficult time.
On the flip side, Sean Higgins was reportedly annoyed by the fact that because of the federal holiday, he would be held in jail until Thursday.
During a virtual hearing on Friday, the day Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau were set to be groomsmen in their sister's wedding, Higgins reportedly let out a long sigh and sat back in his chair when the judge explained that he would remain in jail through the weekend.
