Fentanyl Contributed To Former Bruins Player Jimmy Hayes' Death

MILTON, MA — The wife of former Boston Bruins player Jimmy Hayes told the Boston Globe Sunday that her husband died with fentanyl and cocaine in his system.

Jimmy Hayes, a professional hockey player who played two of his seven NHL seasons with the Bruins died unexpectedly in his Milton home on August 23, at the age of 31.

Kristen Hayes spoke with Dan Shaughnessy of the Globe Sunday about her husband's death after learning the cause of his death Friday, when she got the toxicology report from the Massachusetts State Medical Examiner.

"I was completely shocked. I was so certain that it had nothing to do with drugs. I really thought it was a heart attack or anything that wasn't that [drugs] . . . It didn't make any sense, so it was hard," Kristen told Shaughnessy in the article. "I was hoping to get a different phone call when they called. I was hoping to get some clarity and I was shocked to hear that it was that . . . He never showed any signs of a struggle at home."

The Globe also reported speaking with Jimmy Hayes's father, who told Shaughnessy he noticed a change in his behavior over a year before his death.

"About maybe 16 or 17 months ago, I saw a little change in Jimmy’s behavior and I went to him and I said ‘I think there might be a problem here with pills. He had had an injury for a while and I think he started taking the painkillers and they get you," Shaughnessy reported Kevin Hayes saying.

"I hope getting Jimmy's story out there can save someone's life. If this can save someone from the pain, great; said Kevin Hayes. "I don’t want him to be stigmatized like as a [expletive] junkie... you know what I mean? Because he wasn't. Jimmy helped everyone."

Hayes was a Dorchester native who won an NCAA hockey championship at Boston College and moved on to play the remainder of his career for the Chicago Blackhawks.

For the full Boston Globe article, find it here.

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• Former Bruins Player Jimmy Hayes Found Dead In His Home In Milton