Former Ranger Kevin Hayes posted a heartbreaking tribute to Johnny Gaudreau after the Blue Jackets star died tragically on Thursday night.
Hayes put a photo of Gaudreau with his nephew, Beau, on his Instagram story with the caption, “Love you John! Say hello to Beau’s Dad for me.”
In the picture, Gaudreau appears to be extending his arm to Beau for a high-five.
Beau’s father is Jimmy Hayes — Kevin’s older brother — who died in August 2021, the day after Beau’s second birthday.
A toxicology report later found cocaine and fentanyl in his system, his family told The Boston Globe.
Kevin Hayes was close to Gaudreau as well, going back to their Boston College days, with a video of Gaudreau dancing on fellow superstar Brady Tkachuk’s shoulders at Hayes’ wedding going viral on Friday.
Hayes, who now plays for the Penguins, wrote a piece for The Players’ Tribune last year in remembrance of his brother.
“Jimmy was my biggest fan,” Kevin Hayes wrote. “I could do no wrong in his eyes. He always believed that I was an All-Star, every year. I miss those FaceTime calls with him on the way home from games more than anything in the world.
“.. It feels surreal, still. It hurts so bad some days that I can barely take it. That’s just the truth. It sucks. It sucks to talk about. It sucks to remember. It sucks to know that I’m never going to be able to hear another one of his stories. It just f—ing sucks.”
Jimmy’s widow, Kristen Hayes, also mourned the Gaudreau brother’s tragic passing in an Instagram Story on Friday.
“Unimaginable news this morning. Heartbroken. There are no words,” she wrote, adding a broken heart emoji.
The Thursday night death of Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, hit by an alleged drunk driver while biking in Oldmans Township, have prompted a similar outpouring of support across the NHL.
In Columbus, where Gaudreau played the last two seasons for the Blue Jackets, fans paid tribute with an impromptu memorial outside Nationwide Arena, leaving flowers, hats and hockey sticks in remembrance.
