Jane Gaudreau, mother of late hockey stars Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, reflected on the bittersweet circumstances of daughter Katie’s pregnancy before she gave birth to her first child.
“They were just such big fans of children,” Jane exclusively told Us Weekly about her sons in April. “Sometimes I think about that and it’s very heartbreaking that they didn’t get a chance to be with their children, or even their nieces or nephews.”
Katie and her husband, Devin Joyce, announced the arrival of their son, Matthew, on Tuesday, June 23, three days after he was born on Saturday, June 20.
Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, died in August 2024 when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding bicycles the night before Katie was supposed to get married. Katie and Joyce rescheduled their wedding for July 2025.
Johnny’s widow, Meredith, gave birth to the couple’s son, Carter, in April 2025, roughly seven months after Johnny’s death. The couple also share daughter Noa, 3, and son Johnny Jr., 2.
Matthew’s widow, Madeline, gave birth to the couple’s first son, Tripp, in December 2025, roughly four months after Matthew’s death.
Before she gave birth herself, Katie candidly expressed that her pregnancy hadn’t been a cakewalk.
“It’s a journey,” Katie told Us in April. “Your first pregnancy is crazy. My mom had it a lot better. She loved being pregnant. I’m taking it day-by-day. We’re just different generations. She had different toughness.”
Still, Katie called her pregnancy — which she revealed in February — a “gift” after the death of her brothers.
“We’re so excited to welcome this new life,” she said. “I can’t wait to continue to tell my children stories about their uncles. I look at my parents as great role models of how I want to raise my family. I always say my mom should really write a book about how to raise a family.”
Jane and her husband, Guy, also share an older daughter, Kristen.
“If I can raise my family, and I know Devin agrees, half the way that my parents raised us, I’d be happy with it,” Katie said. “I just love how close we were growing up. You never went to bed mad at anybody.”
She continued, “If it wasn’t for the sacrifices that they made so [Johnny and Matthew] could go to Boston College, so that I could open a dance studio. They really were selfless when they decided to raise kids. I’m hoping I can do even a small part of that.”
