3 Things to Know About Penguins Right-Winger Kevin Hayes

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Kevin Hayes in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. Here are three things to learn about the newest player.

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a deal with the St. Louis Blues on June 29, 2024, to acquire 32-year-old right winger Kevin Hayes. 

The native of Dorchester, MA, is a 10-year NHL veteran who has played with the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Blues.

After 713 games and 415 points, here are a few things to learn about Hayes outside of his statistics. 

As a Boston native, Hayes attended Boston College from 2010 to 2014, finishing his senior year with 65 points in 40 games to become a Hobey Baker Award finalist.

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During his time with the Eagles, he was a two-time Hockey East Championships and won a National Championship in 2012.

Moreover, he was an NCAA (East) First All-American and First All-Star named to the New England D1 All-Stars Team. 

Playing hockey is a part of every kid's life in New England. Kevin's older brother is former NHL player Jimmy Hayes, who played in the league from 2011 to 2019 and passed away in 2021.

However, his connections to hockey don't end there. He's cousins with New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk. 

He played college hockey with Tom's two sons, Ryan and Casey, and now skates against Keith's sons, Brady (Ottawa) and Matthew (Florida).

As discussed, Hayes has strong hockey family ties in the NHL. He's a big supporter of the league's Hockey Fights Cancer program since both his parents are cancer survivors. 

Growing up, his mother, Shelagh, had colorectal cancer, and his dad had throat cancer while he was in college.

When his former teammate Oskar Lindblom was going through his own battle with cancer, Hayes was one of his biggest supporters.