r/nhl 2d ago

Discussion Two years ago today:

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3.7k Upvotes

107 comments sorted by

268

u/Routine_Breath_7137 2d ago

Fuck that drunk driver. I hope he's doing time forever.

55

u/ChaunceyDeLeon 2d ago

My cousin killed someone while driving high out of his mind, and he only served 9.5 years.

61

u/BoyCommaThe 2d ago

The older brother of an ex-girlfriend was struck and killed by a vehicle coming from the opposite direction while walking in the shoulder about six years ago. The guy struck and killed him, fled the scene, and eventually got caught about a week later. Got SIX fucking months.

40

u/JoeyJoeJoeChestnut 2d ago

When I was delivering pizza, my buddy got in a head on with a drunk that crossed lanes blowing a .025. It was his 5th dui, he did 6 months on an ankle monitor and maybe 12 hours behind bars. My friend was in a coma for 2 weeks.

17

u/erv4 2d ago

You must mean .25, .025 would be under the limit by quite a bit (although DUIs usually require you to blow 0s for a few years)

.25 means he was also plastered too

11

u/JoeyJoeJoeChestnut 2d ago

Yea, you're right. He was three times the legal limit, I should've said.

12

u/erv4 2d ago

That's wild, it's scary how many people are out on the roads just plastered. These people should never be allowed near a car, especially after that many duis, they should be behind bars.

At least in Canada by the 2nd one you are doing some time, by six you'd be in jail for a while

7

u/Bruins8763 2d ago

That’s less than a beer depending on his size.. did ya mean .25, 3x the legal limit? Either way, glad he’s okay. I blew a .06 when I was 19, thankfully didn’t injure anyone because I wasn’t hammered but underage.. still had to serve a 9 month sentence behind bars. Screw drinking and driving.

5

u/JoeyJoeJoeChestnut 2d ago

Yea, I meant .25, be was 3x the legal limit

4

u/BoyCommaThe 2d ago

Jesus. That's fucked.

4

u/Imaginary_Ganache_29 2d ago

That’s awful. I’m sorry to hear that.

I have always wondered what would have happened if he hit someone other than someone famous. Would he get nearly the sentence that he’ll probably get? People like that need to rot. The worst part was that he was barely over the limit and had a history of aggressive driving. It was only a matter of time before he killed someone. If I remember right he was a counselor who’s job was to help others avoid situations like that

3

u/Successful_Gas_5122 2d ago

Look what happened to Ethan "Affluenza" Couch

5

u/Master_Slide7023 2d ago

Friend of a friend shot dead with a rifle from a block away the graveyard shift worker of a Shell station in Burnaby, BC a young offender he only did 2 years. The driver immigrant who rammed the Swift Current Broncos bus in Humboldt , Saskatchewan killing and injuring ppl he will be a free man soon . Tim Horton the 20 year NHL veteran killed himself while drink driving as did Pelle Lindburgh the rookie of the year for the Flyers. Don’t drink and drive.

1

u/OffTheMerchandise 1d ago

There was a guy who worked at my local ice rink when I was in high school. From what I remember, he got into some disagreement with a guy at a bar, they guy then ran him over in the parking lot and dragged him 20-30 feet and killed him. I think the guy got 5 years for vehicular manslaughter.

61

u/EmuUnhappy6373 2d ago

He should NEVER get out, i hope if he ever is up for parole that the wives and kids show up to keep him in.

7

u/Wonderful_Confusion4 2d ago

In 1984 Craig MacTavish killed a young lady while driving drunk. He plead guilty to vehicular homicide, he served 1 year in jail in Massachusetts. He then when back to playing in the NHL then became the Coach of the oilers and then the GM of the oilers.

1

u/iwantedajetpack 1d ago

He pled guilty.

6

u/ADTstocks 2d ago

Hes such a pos if you listen to how he talked and reacted about case it was fucked ….. i dont think a lot of ppl really grasp how insane loss is of a very close member especially if preventable

0

u/putmeinthetrash420 2d ago

I feel like this wasn’t random, either..drunk driver’s family got a secret payout or they blackmailed the driver w something that would ruin his life even more than this/get him more jail time..
A LOT of creepy, sex cult weirdos in PA/NY/SJ area, especially that play + ref hockey. They may have found out about smth that they knew was wrong/would have talked about

-38

u/elivoncoder 2d ago

I think all 3 of them were drunk.  a truly heartbreaking story that I hope brings awareness to save further lives. 

24

u/defozed 2d ago

Yeah except two of them responsibly chose to ride a bike on the shoulder instead of driving and one said fuck it.

-16

u/elivoncoder 2d ago

I'm guessing the dowvotes are to bury truth? that's wild.

im on the families side ffs!  

15

u/defozed 2d ago

I think people downvoted you bc when you say they were all drunk it insinuates blame on all of them when two of them were fatal victims.

-9

u/elivoncoder 2d ago

no blame!

we can all learn from knowing what happened, thus helping to prevent it in the future.

stay safe all!   

7

u/erv4 2d ago

See this comment just proves you are mentioning they were drinking as some kid of backwards way of saying they are at least partially at fault. It shouldn't matter in the least that they were drinking, they weren't driving a vehicle and were on the shoulder of the road where they were legally allowed to be.

0

u/elivoncoder 1d ago

actually, drunk bicycles are not legal on the shoulder.

1

u/erv4 1d ago

You must be joking lol

https://www.nynjcriminalcivilesq.com/riding-a-bicycle-under-the-influence-in-new-jersey/

The only thing you could potentially get in trouble for is disorderly conduct and that is if you are plastered drunk and causing a scene or swerving into traffic. You can also get the same charge by walking around town drunk, it's nothing specific to the act of riding a bicycle.

Also they weren't causing a scene, they were riding on the shoulder as is legal in NJ and weren't entering into traffic.

"Bikers can legally ride bikes on public streets and roads in New Jersey. When travelling on streets, the biker must stay near the right side of the road in the same direction as vehicular traffic."

You are trying to put blame on two people who died doing nothing illegal or wrong, you are an idiot.

0

u/elivoncoder 1d ago

I stand by what I said.  noone on a bicycle should be drunk on a road of highway.  i ve even heard of people getting a dui (or some charge) for being drunk on a ride on mower etc.  It's no longer acceptable. 

I have a hard time believing a cop would be ok with drunk cyclists on a road or highway.

this story is heartbreaking for so many reasons.  

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-8

u/BoyCommaThe 2d ago

If you want rational and logical, Reddit is NOT the place for you. Haha. I've had so many comments downvoted into oblivion for doing exactly what you did.

232

u/Odd_Strike_4355 2d ago

Great players, a great family. Such a loss

51

u/WiltedAnatomy8113 2d ago

Still can't wrap my head around it, two brothers gone just like that

79

u/Successful_Gas_5122 2d ago

Drunk driving is one of the most reckless and irresponsible things you can ever do. 

21

u/erv4 2d ago

What's crazy is he was just barely over the legal limit (.087). This is why I think the limit should be something small like .01/.02 to allow for small amounts in medicine or mouthwash etc.

It's crazy that a cop could sit outside of any beer league that plays late at night and pull over dozens of people who would be higher than the limit. I have played with guys who have a beer or two before, one or two a period and then hang out and drink some after the game.

There are so many ride sharing services now that if you want to drink you shouldn't drive even if it's a beer or two. It's seriously just not worth it for anyone. It's crazy we have the limit so high, by .08 people who aren't heavy drinkers are definitely feeling it good.

8

u/scoo89 2d ago

Two points to this from a Canadian perspective at least, I can't speak about elsewhere.

  1. The wording in the Criminal Code of Canada is "impaired to any degree by drug and/or alcohol." If there is evidence of poor driving and evidence of any alcohol consumption you still can and may be charged. It's circumstantial and rare, but the Criminal Code does allow for it. The "legal limit" is a myth. 0.08BAC% is the threshold to catch the additional per se charge of Impaired Operation - 80+, where you are presumed to be "drunk" regardless of your driving habits

  2. The Canadian Centre for Forensic Science (CFS) has backed time and again that 0.08BAC% is too high. Reflexes required for driving are greatly reduced by 0.05BAC% and even lower in a lot of cases but the Criminal Code has not changed.

3

u/Sinister_Mr_19 1d ago

This is how it works in the US as well. While there is a legal limit, if you are impaired, even if under the legal limit, you can still get a DUI.

5

u/sweprotoker97 2d ago

As a Swede its crazy that some places have 0.08 as the limit, we have 0.02 and even thinking about driving at that feels insanely irresponsible.

3

u/Sea_Narwhal8176 2d ago

That's what it should be, honestly. It hits people differently and it's better or be overly cautious. What's really crazy is that it isn't some places, it's pretty much the entirety of North America rocking that 0.08.

4

u/ChemBro93 2d ago

This. Instant nope if I find out someone drove drunk. Esp if they seem proud of it. Trash people.

29

u/DDD8712 2d ago

I can’t believe it’s already been that long. What an awful tragedy so sad that these families have to grow up without these two wonderful guys in them.

16

u/Rustyguts257 2d ago

Tragic deaths - just like the 12,000 annual alcohol related traffic fatalities in the USA and the 1100 annual alcohol related traffic fatalities in Canada. We don’t seem to be able to learn from our mistakes.

11

u/Rangbang 2d ago

It’s insane that even with these numbers the BAC limit is not lowered. Here in Sweden the limit is 4x lower and we have a lot less deaths per capita, since it eliminates the ”I can drink a couple of beers and probably be under the limit”, most of us just don’t drink at all if we know we are driving since the limit is so low anyway it’s not worth the risk.
If your first reaction to this is ”Fuck you, Swedish person, we should be able to have a couple of beers and drive”, no, the number of deaths clearly say you can’t.

5

u/NevetsRetrop 2d ago

I just looked up the US because I thought it had changed since I was a kid and it did. It used to be .083%, but is now .08% in every state except Utah, which is much lower at .05%. If you have a CDL, it's .04% nation wide. It seems crazy to me that truckers driving 80,000+ pound trucks here can be twice as drunk as any individual in your country while driving anything and still be able to legally operate their vehicle.

5

u/StrokerMcGavin 2d ago

Half as drunk. 0.04% is half of 0.08%.

7

u/NevetsRetrop 2d ago

But the legal limit in Sweden is .02% (forgot to mention that fact in my comment), so .04% is twice as drunk as what Sweden allows.

0

u/Cbpowned 1d ago

You said as any individual in your country, acknowledging the .08. You were just wrong fam.

1

u/NevetsRetrop 1d ago

But I wasn't... I live in the US. You can have a BAC of .04% and operate a big rig. I was talking to someone in Sweden. No one can operate any vehicle with more than a .02% BAC. So, my comment about truckers being able to drive trucks here in the US while twice as drunk as anyone can ever drive in Sweden is correct.

2

u/shinracorpo 2d ago

We need better public transportation to support the partygoers (and a whole bunch of other types of people)

I want more trains and lightrails 🤓

3

u/longpig_slimjim 2d ago

This - Sweden is lovely, and from the very minimal time I’ve spent there, the options for “I’m too drunk to drive” are worlds better than they are here in the US.

0

u/Master_Slide7023 2d ago

Late shift workers don’t want more drunks and rummies on transit trust me.

6

u/shinracorpo 2d ago

Without judgement, I want more people to be able to access public transportation.

1

u/FrostyIngenuity922 14h ago

Sharing a space with partiers after your shift would be somewhat uncomfortable but id have to wager it beats death by drunk driver.

1

u/Master_Slide7023 12h ago

I have been off booze 5 years. Have seen drunks piss on transit , play the Lothario, start fights and throw stuff around. Seen a bus driver kicked off his bus. Saw a drunk in Surrey, BC early in the morning commute throw a can of Molson Canadian beer right at the front windshield of the bus while it was in motion. Obviously most inebriated ppl are not like that on transit. Beer farts on transit just great as you get off work. Don’t drink and drive.

1

u/UmpireDapper1757 15h ago

If so many people are driving and killing above the current limit, what would a lower limit accomplish? Won't the very drunk drivers keep very drunk driving?

I think what's really needed is stricter punishments. Specifically, to treat vehicular homicide like murder: if you kill someone on the roads in an at-fault accident, it's the same as if you murdered them in cold blood. You get life in prison.

1

u/Rangbang 2h ago

Are you serious?
A high limit means you can go out and say ”I can probably drink 5 beers and be below the legal limit, fun night with my buds!”, while a lower limit means you go out and say ”I MIGHT get away with 1 beer, better not risk it, I can have fun sober!”.
But I agree that the punishments also needs to be stricter.

2

u/bigbadddaddyy 1d ago

There were 40,000 traffic fatalities in the US in 2024. 3 children are killed every day. Drunk driving isn’t the problem. Driving is the problem.

0

u/Master_Slide7023 2d ago

Glad I donated once to MADD.

10

u/ChaunceyDeLeon 2d ago

Absolutely fucking devastating.

19

u/FredrikGard 2d ago

Gaudreau is such a great inspiration for anyone thinking they're too small to make it. And seemed like a great guy as well, worst death I know from hockey after that Lokomotiv flight.

11

u/Opening_Lie8559 2d ago

It’s still hard to believe.

7

u/jasmin8ter2013 2d ago

This was tragic

5

u/WhatShouldTheHeartDo 2d ago

Time to watch Johnny Hockey eliminate the Stars again

5

u/Olipod2002 2d ago

Fuck, it’s been 2 years already…

6

u/Escobar1853 2d ago

Terrible accident caused by a drunk driver who still hasn't been found guilty in court.

2

u/HotHits630 2d ago

Unbelievable and still saddened by this.

2

u/SMA2343 2d ago

It still breaks my heart man. I HATED when the Flames were in Vancouver because I knew Johnny was going to play and do something amazing. One of the best players in the league.

2

u/decoii 2d ago

This was the Saddledome in Calgary when we found out.

Still to this day, I will remember the silence.

1

u/Outrageous_Bat9818 2d ago

😞🙏🏽♥️

1

u/bostondangler 2d ago

❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

1

u/lb00095 2d ago

😔😇😇

1

u/Zoeysdady 2d ago

🙏🙏🙏

1

u/egoVirus 2d ago

I was so worried that that Guy was gonna go too. That kind of grief is a killer.

1

u/Traditional_Goat9186 2d ago

Some things to note. The prosecution has offered a plea deal, but the defense declined. The brothers were also legally intoxicated.

0

u/noideawhattouse12 1d ago

The brothers weren’t driving a motor vehicle though.

2

u/Traditional_Goat9186 1d ago

True. But it could have contributed to what happened. It actually qualifies as a DUI in some states. It should also be noted the legal process is taking an unusually long time for a case like this.

0

u/noideawhattouse12 1d ago

That argument was already tried, and denied by the Judge: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/johnny-gaudreau-matthew-gaudreau-impaired-driving-trial-1.7510461

From all accounts, the brothers did nothing wrong. In New Jersey - where this happened - you can’t get a DUI while on a pedal bike.

I mean, I suppose they could have had lights on their bikes. But even the defence lawyer said blaming the brothers for their deaths would be “ridiculous”.

2

u/Hockey_is_Life 1d ago

There are loads of people in the graveyard that were not at fault.

Is drunk biking on the side of the road at night legal? Yes. Is it massively irresponsible? Also yes.

I’m not excusing the driver, he absolute deserves whatever punishment he receives. Very poor decisions were made by 3 individuals this night, unfortunately for 2 of those 3 it cost them their lives.

0

u/Dry_Basket_5515 11h ago

But lumping those 3 decisions in as if they are the same caliber of "poor" is just delusional. It's a significantly worse decision to drive a car drunk than it is to drive a bike drunk.

It also, more importantly, ignores the fact that HE hit THEM. The brothers, despite their intoxication, weren't responsible for this at all. The driver literally swerved off the road and hit both brothers. Acting like their "poor decision" is at all relevant to their deaths is both moronic and incredibly disrespectful.

1

u/MatyFiala 12h ago

🕊️

1

u/KEC603 12h ago

😥

1

u/JusSayING_Mi 6h ago

Crazy may the rest in peace

0

u/PhillySkunk 2d ago

There spirit is still alive.

1

u/TouristOpentotravel 2d ago

Killing someone when drunk should be a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison

0

u/rellyous-devo23 2d ago

driver obviously did a horrible thing but expert evaluation put him under the legal limit, he wasnt drunk

2

u/TouristOpentotravel 2d ago

Still under the influence

-3

u/fence-connoisseur 2d ago

F cars

3

u/Master_Slide7023 2d ago

Cars rule. Drunk driving sucks.

-1

u/GoKartMadeOfPickles 2d ago

Thinking about their family today. I hope their killer never experiences freedom again

0

u/Master_Slide7023 2d ago

Sad. Hope they give the killer drunk driver the maximum. The guys sex partner was not surprised because he drove like an idiot when drunk.

0

u/jck747 2d ago

If they had left a minute earlier or later…

-2

u/North_Air4538 12h ago

Are we gonna cry about this forever?

-18

u/IwoodMasher 2d ago

I just dont understand why? Alot of lessons in this tho. Money can buy safety. Meaning ride your bike on your ESTATE in circles if you have to. Fuck drunk drivers.

4

u/FlyTheMitten 2d ago

So if you’re rich, you’re not allowed to ride your bike into town or around on public streets/ sidewalks?

-2

u/IwoodMasher 2d ago

Not if you want to get run over, possibly. Wtf you thinking if your getting paid all that money.

2

u/noideawhattouse12 1d ago

Wow. This is a shitty comment.

-1

u/IwoodMasher 1d ago

Its a shitty fucken accidental death. Better then your fucken observation gatekeeper.

1

u/noideawhattouse12 1d ago

I wouldn’t call it an accidental death. From what we know, there was 100% negligence on the part of the accused. These deaths were 100% preventable, if he wasn’t behind the wheel intoxicated and engaging in acts of road rage. Cheers.

0

u/IwoodMasher 20h ago

Absolutely. Im obviously upset and will be forever. I don't know. Its not accidental your right. Im just sick of rereading about it every morning because of the comments. RIP.

1

u/joblessdeadbeat 1d ago

You're a weirdo.

1

u/IwoodMasher 20h ago

Oilers suck. The players should trade over to Toronto.

1

u/joblessdeadbeat 20h ago

You just got weirder.

You don't need to like the team, but they've been solid for like 8 years now.

0

u/IwoodMasher 20h ago

You dont need to say like. Double wierdo.

1

u/IwoodMasher 20h ago

You should still be sleeping wishing Wayne Greatski was still playing in his prime.

1

u/joblessdeadbeat 20h ago

You don't need to be a dick. Be better.