If you are a fan of ice hockey, you might have wondered if two players with the same last name are related. This is especially true for Frederick Gaudreau and Johnny Gaudreau, who both play in the National Hockey League (NHL). They share not only a surname, but also a passion for the sport and a talent for scoring goals. But are they really related? Here is what we found out.
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The Short Answer: No
Despite having the same last name and playing ice hockey, Frederick and Johnny Gaudreau are not related. They are not blood relatives, though, as they are from separate nations and have distinct nationalities—one is Canadian, and the other is American.
The Long Answer: Different Origins and Paths
Frederick Gaudreau was born on May 1, 1993, in Bromont, Quebec, Canada. He is the youngest child of Jean-Pierre Gaudreau and France Desrosiers. He started playing hockey at a young age and participated in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 2006. He played junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Shawinigan Cataractes and the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He won the Memorial Cup with the Cataractes in 2012 and was named the QMJHL’s most sportsmanlike player in 2014.
Frederick Gaudreau went undrafted by any NHL team and signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2014. He made his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators in 2016 and scored his first NHL goal in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played for the Predators until 2021, when he signed a five-year contract with the Minnesota Wild.
Johnny Gaudreau was born on August 13, 1993, in Salem, New Jersey, United States. He is the son of Guy and Jane Gaudreau and has three siblings. He grew up playing hockey in New Jersey and Massachusetts and attended Gloucester Catholic High School. He played college hockey for Boston College from 2011 to 2014 and won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in NCAA Division I in 2014.
Johnny Gaudreau was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Flames in 2014 and scored his first NHL goal on his first shot. He became one of the Flames’ top scorers and was named to four NHL All-Star Games. He played for the Flames until 2022, when he became an unrestricted free agent.
The Conclusion: A Coincidence
Frederick Gaudreau and Johnny Gaudreau have a lot in common, but they are not related by blood or by marriage. They have different parents, different birthplaces, different nationalities, and different teams. They just happen to share a last name that is fairly common in Quebec, where many people have French ancestry. They are both great hockey players who have made their mark in the NHL, but they are not family.
