Attending Hockey Games and Staying Safe in 2024-25

As the season approaches, some words on traveling safe during the year.

The hockey world lost beloved people on Friday morning, when news broke that Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau were struck and killed while cycling on the side of the road on Thursday evening. The Columbus Blue Jackets made their official announcement at 7:30 AM on August 30, paying tribute to the Gaudreau brothers. Many people cherished the Gaudreaus: their families, their current and former teammates, and just about anyone who followed hockey. As it happens when admirable people pass, their deaths still linger with us and likely will for a long time.

Since Johnny and Matthew were killed by a drunk driver, I wanted to post today about staying safe if you decide to attend any hockey games this season.

For many people, alcohol and hockey go hand-in-hand. However, alcohol in driving certainly do not. Many studies, including this one comparing low and high blood alcohol concentrations, show that drivers become impaired much earlier than they realize. The best amount of alcohol for someone behind the wheel is approximately zero. Reaction time slackens at even half the legal BAC limit, and that slowed reaction time often causes crashes. These reaction times may even initially worsen as alcohol is tapering out of the system, rather than immediately returning to normal as a driver might expect.

The truth is, nobody needs alcohol to enjoy a hockey game. Nobody needs it to enjoy anything. However, if you want to drink at a Devils game this season, look into carpooling, rideshare apps, and public transportation. It might not seem like much, or it might seem kept a bit less well than you would like, but New Jersey has one of the best state-level transit systems in the United States. See the simplified rail line map below.

NJ Transit

If you would like to go to Newark Penn Station, directly, you are in luck if you live near the Raritan Valley Line (orange), the Northeast Corridor (red), or the North Jersey Coast Line (light blue). Also connecting to the Northeast Corridor is the River LINE, which connects Camden to Trenton. Going to Newark Broad Street are the following lines: The Montclair-Boonton Line (lighter-red), the Morristown Line (also known as the Morris-Essex Line, in green). The Gladstone Branch also connects to some of the same stations as the Morris-Essex Line and stops on Broad Street. According to the Prudential Center website, you can take the Newark Light Rail between Broad Street and Newark Penn Station, as the walk from Broad Street to The Rock is a bit of a lengthy distance. You can also take the PATH to Newark if you live closer to New York City.

Quite a few towns find themselves on NJ Transit rail lines. If you can use it, I suggest using it. Whether you live in one of those towns along the line or are within a reasonable driving distance of the line, you are much more likely to travel safe if you use public transportation — especially when any alcohol is involved. If you decide to go with your friends on the train to the game, get there a bit early, and have any alcoholic beverages before the game, you will be much safer later on in the night when you don’t have to get right in your car and battle post-game Newark travel with alcohol likely still in your system.

Having said that, if you have found yourself driving drunk in the past, the best time to stop is today. Not only will you be making yourself safer, but everyone around you as well. And if you do find yourself driving to hockey games this season, with or without friends in the same car, look for team designated driver programs. Twitter user @starryote compiled a list of every known NHL arena driver program here. The New Jersey Devils’ program can be found outside of the Club Lounge East by Section 17.

Driving in New Jersey and the United States in general can feel dangerous enough when sober. Making sure that you have a safe way to get home is essential — and only a sober driver can give the best assurance of safety, whether that driver is yourself, a friend or family member, or an Uber driver. Of course, Thursday’s tragedy reminds us that there is only so much we can do to keep ourselves safe at times, but we control what we can. The large trucks, SUVs, and vans of today are not designed with pedestrian safety in mind, with increasingly high front ends and blunt grills like the Jeep Grand Cherokee posing the most danger in collisions. As the Grand Cherokee has ballooned in size over the last several years, so have many of the vehicles on our road. That makes for far less road safety in general, despite the false sense of safety that drivers experience in larger vehicles. Be extremely wary of large vehicles when crossing roads or riding bikes — these are the vehicles that cause disproportionate road deaths, and they only become more dangerous with drunk drivers behind the wheel.

I am heartbroken for the Gaudreau family. Burying a family member is impossibly difficult, whether that be a father, son, brother, or husband. Johnny and Matthew’s sister, Katie, was supposed to be married on Friday. I cannot imagine the amount of grief she is experiencing. My heart also feels for Johnny and Meredith’s two children, who lost their father at a terribly young age.

My thoughts are with Columbus Blue Jackets, as well as Johnny’s former teammates and colleagues on the Calgary Flames. Sean Monahan’s recent comments were heartbreaking, as he was excited to build a life in Columbus and raise his family near his long-time friend in Johnny. Many players have also been donating to a GoFundMe supporting Matthew Gaudreau’s wie, Madeline, and their expected baby, Tripp. I have strong hopes that the hockey community will continue to step up to help the Gaudreau family as Johnny’s and Matthew’s children grow.

I would also like to send my thoughts to Kevin Hayes, who lost good friends in Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Kevin posted this in tribute to the Gaudreaus, who he met at Boston College in 2010. Kevin lost his brother, Jimmy Hayes, in 2021 after Jimmy struggled with opioid painkillers due to injuries sustained during his playing career, which included a year with the New Jersey Devils during the 2017-18 season. Kevin first wrote on Instagram, “Love you John! Say hello to Beau’s Dad for me.” My thoughts are with the Hayes family once more, as Kevin has had to bear loss too often in his life.

This tragedy still lingers over the hockey world, and the loss of the Gaudreau brothers leaves a terrible hole in our hearts. Even as deaths like these are hard to accept, we cannot bring people back from the dead. But we can make better decisions to keep ourselves and others safe, so these terrible things do not repeat themselves. Stay safe, and stay sober if you need to be behind the wheel.