Boston College to honor Gaudreau brothers and Tony Voce during the season

BOSTON (AP) —

Boston College will honor former hockey players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau and Tony Voce with uniform patches, a sign on the boards in front of the team bench and other tributes this season.

All three died this summer: The Gaudreau brothers were hit by a car while bicycling in New Jersey the day before their sister’s wedding. Voce, a member of the Eagles’ 2001 national championship team, died suddenly at the age of 43; no cause of death has been released.

The school said there will be a moment of silence before Friday’s home opener against American International College as well as a video tribute. The Eagles will wear a patch with “TV,” “JG” and “MG,” and the initials will also be on the boards at the Conte Forum.

During warmups before the Hockey East opener against Maine on Nov. 8, all members of the BC team will wear the jerseys of either Voce or one of the Gaudreaus. The school’s trophy case has also been reconfigured to honor the players.

The 2014 Hobey Baker Award winner as the top player in college hockey, “Johnny Hockey” was a member of BC’s 2012 NCAA team who played 11 years in the NHL for Calgary and Columbus. His younger brother, Matthew, was a two-time Beanpot champion who led the Eagles in points as a senior.

Voce was a first team All-American and Hobey Baker Award Finalist in 2004.

The BC tributes are the latest in an outpouring of grief from the hockey community.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Columbus Blue Jackets players wear helmet stickers and patches honoring Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. All teams in the NHL will wear helmet stickers honoring the Gaudreau brothers. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Troy Ward, of Dayton, takes photos of a memorial of Columbus Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew before the start of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Seattle Kraken players stand for a moment of silence for Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Boston College to honor Gaudreau brothers and Tony Voce during the season

Boston College to honor Gaudreau brothers and Tony Voce during the season

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) stands on a No. 13 on the ice honoring former Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau who were killed by a driver in New Jersey in August, before an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)