As quintessentially Boston as chowder, or the original Cheers bar, or a ball caroming off the Green Monster at Fenway Park, or a Pops concert filling the silence inside Symphony Hall.

Born in the Dorchester suburb of Boston, Hayes became part of the noted Boston College program and helped lead the team to the national championship in 2010.

Eventually, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound right wing would come full circle and return home, but not before NHL stops with the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers.

A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Hayes was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round (No. 60) in the 2008 NHL Draft, then dealt to the Blackhawks in 2010 while still playing at BC.

A 42-goal, 81-point collegiate career was highlighted by a Frozen Four Tournament triumph in Hayes' sophomore season. Outside, braving the elements at Ford Field in Detroit, Boston College blasted the University of Wisconsin 5-0 in the championship game before a crowd of 37,592.

His three years in the Blackhawks organization were spent mainly with Rockford of the American Hockey League - he only played 43 games with Chicago over parts of three seasons (2011-14) - and on Nov. 14, 2013, Hayes was traded to the Panthers.

Given a fresh opportunity, Hayes spent the final 53 games of the 2013-14 season on the Panthers' roster and made a positive impression with 11 goals. The next season, his first full one in the NHL, Hayes scored 19 goals and 35 points in 72 games to finish seventh on the team in scoring.

Despite the increase in production, Hayes, a restricted free agent, found himself on the move again in the summer of 2015. This time, though, the destination could not have been hand-picked better as the Panthers traded him to the Bruins, a team Hayes had dreamed of playing with for years.

Five days later, the Bruins signed Hayes to a three-year contract.