Brothers Gaudreau: the accused refuses a 35-year prison sentence.

Last summer, the death of the Gaudreau brothers shocked the entire hockey community. The two men, who were gathered for their sister’s wedding, were fatally struck while riding their bikes.

Learning that the truck driver was intoxicated only increased the frustration associated with this situation that could have truly been avoided.

That said, since the incident, the judicial process has been ongoing… and this morning, the accused in the case, Sean Higgins, appeared for five minutes.

During this appearance, he was offered to plead guilty and accept a 35-year prison sentence… but he refused to do so.

He pleaded not guilty, so the case will go to trial.

REPORT: Sean Higgins has formally rejected a plea offer that would have seen him spend 35 years in prison for the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

The Gaudreau brothers’ parents and sisters were in attendance during the five-minute hearing this morning.

Higgins’ attorneys…

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) January 7, 2025

It should be noted that if he is found guilty on all counts in the case, Higgins faces up to 60 years in prison. In fact, he could face 30 years for each of the murders, so he could receive up to 60 years that way.

Obviously, by refusing this morning’s offer, one might think it’s because he believes, based on his lawyers’ advice, that he can obtain a more lenient sentence. The defendant’s attorneys have already announced that they intend to try to drop some of the charges in the case.

So we can expect quite a complex trial.

It is also worth noting that the accused will be back in court on February 4. The case will therefore continue… and we can think that we will need to be patient before a verdict is announced.

So this will be something to follow, but it continues to progress in this sad case.

In Brief

– It set the Bell Centre on fire right from the start of the game.

a moment of appreciation for this sequence please

can we talk about this shift for a sec? #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/HFIP9oro0n

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 7, 2025

– Jakub Dobes has the potential to be a future #1, believes Stéphane Waite.

There’s no doubt for Stéphane Waite: Jakub Dobes has the potential to become a number 1 goaltender in the NHL! @MartinLemay @ylevesqueRDS pic.twitter.com/Daqyaqq72w

— RDS (@RDSca) January 7, 2025

– A nice gesture from the Canadiens’ goalie.

Can you believe that Samuel Montembeault is in Bécancour this afternoon, after the Canadiens’ crazy streak in recent days, for Entraide Bécancour’s press conference?

No one can blame him for his lack of love for his hometown. @CanadiensMTL

— Matthew Vachon (@MatthewVachon_) January 7, 2025

– Lane Hutson’s performance yesterday continues to generate buzz.

Is Lane Hutson the next Quinn Hughes? Last night, Hutson was even better than Hughes!

Pierre McGuire: «Lane Hutson is gonna give him everything he can handle and some. Lane Hutson is special»#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro pic.twitter.com/sCVGdmZEqc

— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) January 7, 2025

– Another point for Oliver Kapanen today.

Oliver Kapanen with an assist on the tying goal against Växjö. His 13th point (5+8) in 14 games, a very good development path for the Finnish forward in the SHL. Where in the #habs line-up will he play next season?

— Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) January 7, 2025