Gone Too Soon

I didn't know Jimmy Hayes which is to say that I only knew him from highlights and hockey stats. I didn't know him as a person, as a father, as a husband, as a brother, as a son, nor as a teammate, but losing anyone at the age of 31 when it's expected he'd be in the prime of his life is a difficult time with which one has to deal. When it was announced that Jimmy Hayes had passed away today, I found myself thinking it couldn't be true due to how young Hayes was, but it was confirmed by several sources which leave me with a ton of questions.

Hayes made his debut with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011 following a 2010 trade with Maple Leafs who selected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He was moved by the Blackhawks with Dylan Olsen in 2013 to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Kris Versteeg and Philippe Lefebvre. He ended up in Boston in 2015 after the Panthers swapped him for Reilly Smith and Marc Savard's contract. He'd sign in New Jersey as a free agent in 2017, and end up in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization as a free agent in 2018.

His 2014-15 season with the Florida Panthers was his most productive as he scored 19 goals and added 16 assist for 35 points in 72 games. While injuries would limit him in other seasons in terms of the number of games he played, when Hayes was on his game he was an effective NHL player. His 54 goals and 55 assists in 334 NHL games total proves he had the goods to be in The Show.

A vast number of former teammates of Hayes expressed his love of the game, his presence in the locker room, and how much they'll his jovial nature in making things lighter around the rink. It sounds as though Hayes was one of those guys everyone just loved having around because of his personality, and those are the guys that seem to be the hardest to replace when they move to new teams. No matter what team he was on, players and coaches seemed to enjoy Jimmy Hayes' presence based on a very unscientific social media poll done by me.

What makes this harder for me is that Hayes, while being so young, leaves behind his wife, Kristen, and two young sons. The loss that they're suffering through at this moment will be bigger than anything I've experienced, and my heart and thoughts go out to them today in this most difficult time. Hayes was just 31 - his greatest adventures with Kristen and the boys were just getting started.

Rest in peace, Jimmy. We barely had time to get to know you, but you accomplished so much in such a short time. You were an NCAA champion with Boston College, you played the in NHL under the bright lights, and you were respected for being a genuinely good person in and around the rink. It's never good to lose someone like that from the game, but Heaven's hockey team just got a whole lot better with you added to the squad.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!