"4 years too long without you": Jimmy Hayes' widow Kristen grieves ex-NHLer on his fourth death anniversary

Jimmy Hayes
Jimmy Hayes' widow Kristen grieves ex-NHLer on his fourth death anniversary [vIa IG/@raising_hayes]

On Saturday, Jimmy Hayes’ widow Kristen shared a series of emotional Instagram stories on the fourth anniversary of the former NHL player’s passing.

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In the first story, she posted a throwback beach photo of the couple smiling together, with the caption:

“4 years too long without you” and a broken heart emoji.

The second story featured a reposted shot of a black-and-white family picture of Jimmy, Kristen and their two young children walking on the beach, set to the Nine Inch Nails song “Together.”

In the final story, Kristen shared a candid shot of Jimmy lying on a bed beside their son, both smiling at the camera with the caption:

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“Forever a favorite.”
via Instagram /@raising_hayes
via Instagram /@raising_hayes

He passed away on August 23, 2021, at his home in Milton, Massachusetts just one day after celebrating his son Beau’s second birthday. A toxicology report from the Massachusetts state medical examiner found that he had cocaine and fentanyl in his system. His death was attributed to acute intoxication due to the combined effects of those substances.

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Jimmy Hayes’ brother Kevin hails late NHLer as the Dorchester Batman

Jimmy Hayes’ younger brother Kevin Hayes penned an emotional memorial on the fourth anniversary of the former NHL forward’s death. In a refelction published on The Players’ Tribune, Kevin described Jimmy as “the Dorchester Batman,” someone who always looked out for others.

“If you were getting picked on, or were sitting at lunch alone, Jimmy would somehow get the Bat-Signal and he’d come swooping in to say, ‘Hey, what’s up, bud? Dude, those shoes are sick. You like hockey? You should come play wiffle ball with us later.’⁠”
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Kevin recalled how Jimmy looked out for him when he followed in his footsteps to a private school outside Boston. On his first day in the cafeteria, Jimmy, who was already a popular figure at the school, introduced Kevin to his classmates as “the man” instantly easing his younger brother’s nerves.

“I’ll never forget, as soon as we get into the cafeteria, Jimmy comes walking through the doors. And he’s like the mayor of the school by this point. He pretends like he has to ask one of the teachers something, but then he comes over to everybody like, ‘Hey, you guys know my brother Kevin? He’s the man, dude. [I was not the man]. He’s got so many stories. [I had no stories].’⁠”
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Kevin shared how for weeks Jimmy would continue popping up at lunch, in the hallways or by his locker just to make sure he was doing all right. He emotionally concluded that it was what his brother did best.

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Edited by Anjum Rajonno
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