99ers crack Gooch

Goals against grief: “They stay in my heart”

Trevor Gooch (right) posted the childhood photo after the death of his friends Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.(Bild: zVg/Gooch)

"It won't be the same with you guys". Ice hockey forward Trevor Gooch lost his best friends, NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, last summer. In the "Krone" interview, the Graz99ers forward explained how he deals with death and what gives him strength.

The pictures of the funeral or the speech of the pregnant woman who had just lost her husband are unforgettable. It was one of the horror stories of the summer when ice hockey star and NHL professional Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Mathew were fatally hit by a car while out on a bike ride in August.

"I still can't believe it," Trevor Gooch shook his head. The Graz99ers striker grew up with both brothers. "I was very close friends with Matthew as a child. Johnny later moved very close to us. We were really good friends - especially for the past six or seven years," Trevor's eyes get moist during the Krone interview just a few months after the tragedy. Just two days after the accident, the 30-year-old posted on Instagram: "I lost two brothers. Nothing in this world will be the same without you." A nightmare that also kept Gooch busy.

Gooch and Gaudreau(Bild: zVg/Gooch)

Inseparable friends(Bild: zVg/Gooch)

 "Of course it's buzzing around in your head. I think a lot about them and the whole family." Even more so around Christmas. "But they stay in my heart forever, they're always there," says Trevor, who is slowly finding his feet in sport after his personal low point in Graz.

Second best scorer, dog "Yeti" gives strength
In the last six games, the US American has scored seven points. It feels like goals and assists against grief. "I didn't have an ideal start in Graz, I expected more from myself. But I'm on a good path now, thinking less." Gooch (22 points) is now the team's highest scorer after the injured Lukas Haudum (23). In his private life, his fiancée and his dog "Yeti" give him a lot of strength. Hopefully also on Saturday (18.30) in the home game against Linz.