The Boston Bruins paid tribute to Jimmy Hayes with a touching video one day after the former Bruin was laid to rest in his hometown.
The nearly 90-second clip was posted to the team's social media accounts Tuesday morning, and had garnered over 193,000 views on Twitter in just 12 hours.
Posted with the caption, "Forever a Bruin. Forever a Bostonian. Forever in our hearts. Rest in peace, Jimmy," the montage paid homage to what Hayes is remembered for -- his kindness and passion for the community.
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The clip opens with the Dorchester native talking about the dream he was living out, saying, "to be able to walk in with the Bruins jersey on for the first time, was just amazing."
As it continues, Hayes and ex-Bruin Matt Beleskey are seen playing a game of street hockey with some kids. Trying to get a high five, Hayes jokes to the youngsters that they are leaving him hanging.
Next it pans to Fenway Park where Hayes appears to be over emphasizing his Boston accent to get a laugh.
Known for his love of golf, the video shows Hayes drive quickly by in a golf cart, all smiles at the wheel. At the funeral mass Monday, both Hayes' widow Kristen and his brother Kevin quipped about the former hockey player's love for golf.
"He was the big brother that everyone would want," Kevin said at St. Ann's Church in Dorchester, adding later that the only time his brother ever prioritized himself was when he was fixing his golf swing.
Kristen noted her husband loved to get in a quick 18 holes whenever he could and said she knows he'll be in heaven smiling whenever their son Beau gets a putt in.
When the tribute video jumps to Fenway Park for a second time, Hayes is shown heartily greeting a police officer before taking the mound to stand alongside a young girl throwing the first pitch at a Red Sox game.
Next, Hayes is seen strutting into a locker room, showing off a sharp-looking suit, and then standing in front of a Boston Bruins summer program sign with a group of kids holding a banner that reads, "Thank you Jimmy!"
The footage shown next is from one of the Bruins' annual trips to the Boston Children's Hospital. In 2015, Hayes, Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, David Krejci, and Tuukka Rask brought Halloween candy to children in the hospital all while they were dressed as characters from the Despicable Me movie franchise.
Hayes, who stood 6-foot-6, 221 pounds, was dressed as a Minion. He got a lot of laughs for his costume at the time that appeared five sizes too small with a mustache that he had around his chin.
During his eulogy Monday, Kevin recalled a time when Jimmy brought a 12-year-old boy with terminal cancer into the Bruins' locker room and gave him one of his best memories of his short life, saying "This is just one of the stories about how my brother changed many people's lives."
More on Jimmy Hayes
The tribute video shifts on the ice to what was one of the highlights of Hayes' professional hockey career. Growing up in Dorchester dreaming of scoring a hat trick for his hometown Bruins, Hayes realized that dream in December 2015.
It was first NHL hat trick that he completed in the closing seconds of the game, helping the Bruins beat the Senators, 7-3, at the Garden.
Back off the ice again, the montage shows Hayes greeting his brother Kevin -- who said Monday it has always been 'the Hayes brothers' or 'Jimmy and Kevin.'
In a heartfelt Instagram post following his brother's death, Kevin said he had followed Jimmy around since he could remember. have followed you around since I can remember and I wouldn't want it any other way."
Kevin, who plays hockey for the Philadelphia Flyers, has said that his brother paved the way for him in several aspects of his life, including through Dorchester Youth Hockey, Boston College and the NHL.
The emotional tribute video concludes with Hayes in his black and gold Bruins jersey, walking off the ice into the tunnel.
Hayes was pronounced dead in the early morning hours of Aug. 23 after authorities were called to his home in Milton, Massachusetts. His death isn't being labeled as suspicious, but his cause of death has not been revealed. He was 31.
Hayes is survived by his wife Kristen and their two boys, Beau, 2, and Mac, 3 months.
