Jimmy Hayes' Widow Says Former NHL Player's 'Greatest Accomplishment Without Question Was Being a Dad'
Jimmy Hayes will be remembered as a hockey star in the NHL and his hometown, but first and foremost, he was a loving father.
Days after Hayes' death at 31, his widow Kristen, whom he married in 2018, honored her late husband as a doting dad. On Friday, Kristen shared a journalist's February 2019 tweet about Jimmy dedicating a goal to their firstborn after the couple told their family that they were expecting a baby boy. (Their eldest son Beau was born in August 2019.)
"His greatest accomplishment without question was being a dad," Kristen wrote on her Instagram Story along with the resurfaced tweet.
"Can't wait to show this to Beau one day," added the mother of two, who welcomed their son Mac on May 5.
On the evening of Aug. 22, Kristen and the former Boston Bruins star celebrated Beau's second birthday with 3-month-old Mac. Hours later, on Aug. 23, the father of two was pronounced dead by first responders at their Milton, Massachusetts, home.
In a separate Instagram Story post on Friday, Kristen wrote, "This isn't fair. Why aren't you here," along with videos of her and Jimmy smiling and enjoying a JAY-Z concert.
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Kristen Hayes / Instagram
Kristen's latest post on social media comes after a spokesperson for the medical examiner's office in Massachusetts confirmed to PEOPLE that Jimmy's autopsy was completed on Aug. 25. "The cause and manner of death remain pending and an update is not expected for several weeks when toxicology testing comes back," the office said in a statement.
Then on Thursday, funeral services for Hayes, a native of Dorchester, were made public.
Hayes' wake will be held on Sunday and his funeral will be held on Monday, according to Dorchester Youth Hockey president Jeff Hampton, who told PEOPLE that the local streets will be lined with DYH players for the funeral procession.
Hayes and his brother Kevin, who plays for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, both played for Dorchester Youth Hockey when they were kids, and their family is asking that donations be made to the program in lieu of flowers.
RELATED: Jimmy Hayes' Wife Says 'This Isn't Fair' After His Death: 'I Love You So Much'
Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Jimmy Hayes
"Jimmy never forgot where he came from," Hampton said about Hayes took his Boston College teammates to his hometown to meet with the youth hockey players and sign autographs after winning the NCAA championship in 2010.
"That's what makes it so devastating on a local level," Hampton shared.
Calling Hayes a "very unselfish player," his former high school varsity hockey coach Brian Day told PEOPLE, "He made players around him better. … He was invested in people and in establishing long-lasting relationships. He was just an overall fun-loving guy and you really felt like he cared about you. You walked away from every conversation with him feeling good."
