Sports world mourns Gaudreau brothers as online fundraiser raises over $500K US

More tributes are pouring in from around the hockey community after the deaths of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who were killed last week by a suspected drunken driver while riding their bikes in their home state of New Jersey.

Jaromir Jagr posted a video Tuesday on social media of Gaudreau assisting on his 766th and final goal in the league when they were teammates with the Calgary Flames in 2018.

"It was a beautiful pass above all," Jagr wrote in Czech. "Unfortunately, life can be sometimes unbelievably cruel. Thank you, Johnny Gaudreau, that you were here and you gave hope to all those guys by your unbelievable performances that they can succeed at the world class level in the NHL as you managed to do. My sincerely condolences to your family. R.I.P. to you and your brother."

Donations also continued to pile up to support Matthew's widow, Madeline, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, due in December. A GoFundMe set up by Madeline's sister, Holland Korbitz, and verified by the online fundraising company had raised more than $560,000 US as of 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Dozens of current and former players from around the league, or their significant others, are listed among the more than 7,800 donors, including $3,000 from the family of New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin and $2,013 from Matt Duchene of the Dallas Stars, for a total of $567,127 — well beyond the initial $30,000 goal.

Cliff Rucker, owner of the ECHL's Worcester Railers HC for whom Matthew played two seasons from 2017-19, is listed as the top donor at $10,000.

"Maddy, the entire Railers HC family stands shoulder to shoulder with you during this incomprehensibly difficult time for you and your loved ones," Rucker commented.