Widow of Jimmy Hayes, Hockey Star Who Died in 2021, Reacts to Gaudreau Brothers’ Deaths

Kristen Hayes, the widow of late NHL star Jimmy Hayes, is reacting to the deaths of Jimmy’s former teammate Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau.

Kristen shared a photo of Jimmy — who died in his Massachusetts home in August 2021 — posing with Johnny to her Instagram Stories on Friday, Aug. 30 after the Gaudreau brothers’ deaths were confirmed by New Jersey State Police.

“Unimaginable news this morning. Heartbroken. There are no words,” Kristen wrote in her post, adding a broken heart emoji. The photo Kristen shared to her Stories was originally posted by the Missin’ Curfew podcast account, which Jimmy was a host of before his death.

Jimmy and Johnny played at Boston College, where both late hockey stars made names for themselves before being drafted into the NHL.

Jimmy’s brother, Kevin Hayes, grew to become close friends with Johnny. Jerry York, who coached both Gaudreau brothers at Boston College, told The Athletic that Johnny “spent nights” at the Hayes family home in Massachusetts after developing a “close relationship.”

In a video shared by Kevin from his 2023 wedding, Johnny looked like the life of the party as he was singing and dancing along excitedly with attendees.

Jimmy died in August 2021, just three months after he and Kristen welcomed their son Beau. A report later confirmed that Jimmy had cocaine and fentanyl in his system at the time of his death.

He played seven seasons in the NHL, with stints on the Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, and his hometown team the Boston Bruins, for whom he played from 2015 to 2017.

Johnny and Matthew were killed on Aug. 29 by a driver suspected to be under the influence of alcohol in New Jersey. The brothers were biking on County Route 551 North just after 8 p.m. EST when the accident occurred.

The driver was identified as Sean M. Higgins. He was charged with two counts of death by auto and arrested, and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

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Johnny’s team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, issued a statement on Friday, saying, “The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy.”

The team continued, “Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife, Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, their family and friends on the sudden loss of Johnny and Matthew.”

“The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy. Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife, Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, their family and friends on the sudden loss of Johnny and Matthew,” the statement read.