When Kevin Hayes took the ice for warmups at TD Garden, the Boston native went about his business like usual, not even realizing that his entire extended family had come to surprise him – banging on the glass and holding up signs to commemorate his 800th NHL game.
“I had talked to Erik Karlsson and his wife, I said, if he doesn't see us... because he's known to keep his head down and really lock in... I'm like, you need to nudge him!” Kevin’s wife Katya said. “Because we might go all of warmups without him looking.”
After a couple of minutes, Karlsson gave Hayes the heads up, and he was thrilled by the surprise.
“I had no clue they were going to be there,” Hayes said afterward. “I saw my wife, and I was like, what is she doing here? And then I realized everyone was there. Yeah, they did a pretty good job.
“It's been a long road. I wasn’t crying, but it was a little emotional when I saw them. It was really cool to have my family there, especially in Boston.”
When Katya was driving to PPG Paints Arena on Saturday for Pittsburgh’s matchup with Calgary, she was thinking about how that was her husband’s 799th game.
“I was like, oh, I wonder if he's going to play tomorrow in Boston,” she said. “And then I was like, wait a second, I think it's going to happen! So, I was literally looking at flights as I was at the game yesterday, just frantic. And then (Penguins director of team operations Jason Seidling) was like, we're going to make this happen.”
Katya said she was so grateful to Seidling and Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas for taking care of them, making sure they could get to Boston on such a short turnaround and situating everyone with tickets. She had a special shirt commemorating the occasion for son James, born during the offseason and named after Kevin’s late brother, who died in 2021 at the age of 31.
Jimmy Hayes was originally drafted by Toronto in 2008, and went on to play 334 NHL games with Chicago, Florida, New Jersey, and his hometown Bruins, suiting up for two seasons between 2015-17. His wife Kristen and their two sons, Beau and Mac, came to today’s game with the group.
“Having Jimmy play here before, and having his kids here, too, they look up to Kevin,” Katya said. “I feel like it's very, very special for us. A big milestone, too. It was so special to be in Boston on a Sunday afternoon so the kids could come.”
Hayes’ dad, also named Kevin, said there were seven kids under six cheering Kevin on. His three older sisters were there with their children, having gotten professional signs turned around quickly by a friend, with the kids making some as well after Katya told them the plan.
She called Kevin Sr. yesterday morning, who was happy to play his part to keep everything under wraps. He met his son for breakfast today, and said the family wasn’t going to make it to the game, that they just had too much going on.
“I just acted normal,” Kevin Sr. said with a grin. “This is great. Don't get better than this. It don't get old, and don't get better.”
Kevin joined the Penguins via trade in the summer of 2024 after playing for St. Louis, Philadelphia, Winnipeg and the New York Rangers. An NHL All-Star in 2023, he’s hit the 20-goal plateau twice and the 50-point plateau twice.
“The career that he's had, obviously he's a guy who came into the league and brought a lot from an offensive standpoint,” Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse said. “The ability to hold onto pucks, down low, on the power play, and he's continued to do that.
“He's been out (as a healthy scratch) a little bit here recently, but any game he's been in, there's always going to be chances. When he gets into the slot, gets in there, it’s not just the chances that he can get himself, but also the ones that he can create for others around him.”
And as Muse went on to say, what people don’t realize about Hayes is how much of a glue guy he is.
“He’s, I think, beloved by everybody that he's ever played with. And so, he's a special person,” Muse said.
Fellow New England native Noel Acciari has known Hayes since childhood, and called his longtime friend ‘salt of the earth.’
“He'd give you the shirt off his back,” Acciari said. “He's a good guy, good team guy. Would do anything for anyone.”
The big forward also has a big personality to match, and the humor and swagger he brings to the locker room has quite an impact on the group. They love and respect Hayes, and couldn’t be happier that he got to hit 800 games.
“It's an unreal milestone,” Anthony Mantha said. “He's a great teammate. Obviously, in the locker room, he's the one that's kind of joking all the time, and the boys love him.”
