Hayes of Flyers sharing 1st All-Star Game with son of late brother Jimmy

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The conversation was as much a joke as it was serious. At least, that was the way Kevin Hayes thought of it, all those vows that he would make an NHL All-Star Game, all those times that his older brother would say that it was going to happen.

Because, in many ways, Hayes never really believed in it. Never really believed that he would get the call. Never believed in what Jimmy Hayes said to him over and over.
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"It was more of a joke, honestly," Hayes said at the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game Media Day on Thursday. "I never really thought that something like this would happen. He would always just say, 'This is the year, it's going to happen.' I think he was just saying it to be a good guy."
Jimmy Hayes was right.
A month ago, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher pulled Hayes aside at the team's practice rink just as he was about to sit down to lunch. The Flyers forward was going to be named to the Metropolitan Division team for the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game in nearby Sunrise on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"I was really happy," Hayes said of his first All-Star Game selection. "A little shocked."
But the happiness had a bittersweet tinge. Jimmy Hayes would not be there to see his brother achieve that goal, would not sit in the stands at FLA Live Arena and cheer on his little brother, would not know that his joke had truly not been a joke at all. Jimmy Hayes, who played seven seasons in the NHL (334 games) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, died on Aug. 23, 2021, at the age of 31.
"It's probably the only thing my brother wanted me to accomplish in the last couple years and now it's happening, and I'm just really happy and lucky that his son Beau will be there with me," he said.
Because as soon as Fletcher had told Hayes of the honor, he knew who he would want to share it with: Beau, his presence as important as the honor itself. The only thing he needed to do was ask Beau's mom, Kristen, for her permission. She granted it, knowing that Beau's grandmother Shelagh would be along to help out with the 3-year-old.
"I think he'll be experiencing the whole weekend with me," Hayes said. "He'll go on the ice with me tomorrow, so it'll be cool."
Hayes will be participating in the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting at the 2023 All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook on Friday at FLA Live Arena (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
"I was with Beau today. He's excited," Hayes said. "He doesn't know all the players, but he knows a lot of them. It'll be a cool moment for my family and myself."

A piece of Jimmy was there too, as Hayes spoke to the media on a beautiful day in South Florida. Peeking out from under his left shirt sleeve were a pair of dates: 11/21/89 and 8/23/21, the date of Jimmy's birth and the date of Jimmy's death. Hidden underneath the sleeve were these words, beneath a script "J": "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."
He's on his mind a lot. Every time he scores a goal, which Hayes has done 15 times this season, with 45 points in 50 games, Hayes points to the sky. It wasn't planned that way, but when Hayes scored in his second game of the 2021-22 season, on Nov. 16, 2021, it just happened.
Beau loved it. Hayes hasn't stopped.
"I think it was my first home game back -- I was out with [an] injury -- and then I scored," Hayes said. "I was trying to pass it and it ended up going in. I knew it went in, but I didn't shoot it. I just did that and Beau saw it and thought it was really cool, so I've done it ever since."
When Hayes thinks back over the past two years, it's been a lot for the 30-year-old, who is in his ninth NHL season. He has struggled to stay on the ice with multiple core-area surgeries and he has had to contend with the emotional implications of his brother's death.
"It's definitely been a weird last couple of years for myself injury-wise and personal-wise," Hayes said. "It's nice to be nominated for the All-Star Game after going through stuff like that. A lot of it has to do with the people who are in our circle, my fiancée, my family, close friends. I'm able to celebrate this weekend with those people, so that adds to the weekend as well."
The family feel of this weekend for Hayes extends beyond the presence of Beau to brothers Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk -- fellow All-Stars and cousins of Hayes -- and their families, including former NHL star Keith Tkachuk, all of whom will be on hand for the celebration.
But most important is Beau.
Beau, who turns 4 in August, has already started playing hockey.
"He's obsessed," Hayes said. "I'm sure he's going to try to steal the show here. We'll see."