Former Bruin Jimmy Hayes Found Dead

According to a report from The Boston Globe, former Boston Bruin and Boston College Eagle, and Dorchester-native, Jimmy Hayes was found dead unexpectedly in his Milton, Massachusetts home on Monday afternoon. He was 31 years old.

After getting drafted 60th overall in the 2008 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple leafs, Hayes made his NHL debut in 2010 with the Chicago Blackhawks who traded for his rights – following a National Championship run by BC.

After three pro seasons, bouncing between the AHL and Chicago, Hayes was traded to the Florida Panthers – where he made a name for himself in 2014-15 and scored 19 goals and tallied 35 points in 72 games. Following that season, the Bruins traded Reilly Smith and the contract of Marc Savard in exchange for Hayes.

In two seasons in Boston, the Dorchester-native played in 113 games, scoring 15 goals and notching 19 assist for a total of 34 points.

After a disappointing final season in professional hockey, Hayes spent the last two seasons in the American Hockey League with the Binghamton Devils and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, from 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, respectively – the latter being a much better season than the last.

In his final season, Hayes played in 72 games – scoring 15 goals, and racking up 15 assist for a total of 30 points.

Final pictures of Hayes were found on his wife Kristen’s Instagram of the family of four playing arcade games around midnight Sunday night.

Hayes is survived by his wife, two sons Beau and Mac, and four siblings – most notably his brother Kevin – a forward for Philadelphia Flyers.