The National Hockey League announced on Monday that Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes has been named as a finalist for the 2021-22 edition of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Hayes was named as a finalist alongside New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara and Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price.
Hayes, along with one player from each of the other 31 NHL franchises, were nominated for the award by each local chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association after the regular season concluded, and today the three finalists were announced.
Hayes was nominated after enduring what no person should have to go through this past year. His season was marred by injuries, as he missed the first 13 games of the 2021-22 season after undergoing abdominal surgery just before training camp began, and he underwent another procedure during the year to drain fluid from his adductor region and clean up his abdominal area after developing an infection.
There was concern that Hayes could’ve missed the rest of the season after his midseason flare up, but he returned to the ice and was incredibly impactful almost immediately. Hayes would miss 34 games in total, but in his last 20 games of the season he posted 3 goals and 12 assists for 15 points, and in total he recorded 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points in 48 contests, a remarkable number considering his injury troubles.
But the hardest battle to overcome for Hayes was the sudden and tragic passing of his brother and former fellow NHL player, Jimmy Hayes, back on August 21st, 2021. Jimmy was a second-round draft pick in 2008 by the Toronto Maple Leafs and spent 334 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils, racking up 54 goals and 55 assists.
Kevin credited the Flyers and the hockey community for helping support him through the ordeal. “Hockey is the greatest job, the greatest sport of all time. I truly believe that. To go through everything that happened and the support I got from Chuck, AV, Mike Yeo, everyone in the organization, all of my teammates, it was incredible. Even the support from other teams has been crazy.” said Hayes in an interview with ESPN when the Flyers played in his hometown of Boston in January.
Hayes and his family also started “The 11 Fund” in honor of Jimmy, and it’s a scholarship fund that supports underprivileged children at Saint John Paul School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where the Hayes brothers and their sisters attended school. When the foundation’s beginning was announced to the public, Kevin said in the announcement, “Jimmy’s sole purpose in life was to make those around him feel important and happy, and he did that daily and effortlessly. He also jumped at the opportunity to help others in need, especially children. So, we figured there would be no better way to carry Jim’s legacy on than in our home town and by helping children.”
The emotion that Hayes was feeling seemed to culminate when the Flyers took on the Calgary Flames on November 16th, 2021. Hayes scored his first goal of the season in Philadelphia’s eventual 2-1 overtime victory, but the emotional moment was sealed by Kevin’s point to the sky, as to say that one was for his big brother.
Kevin Hayes endured a gut-wrenching season that no one should have to go through, and now he’s come out of it on the other side as a finalist for the award given to the player who’s persevered through with hockey more than anyone else. It’s honestly not an award that anyone necessarily looks forward to winning, but it’s a symbol of coming out of the hardships and tragedies dealt with while playing the game as a warrior and a champion.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is annually awarded “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.” The award is named for the late Bill Masterton, a winger for the Minnesota North Stars who passed away after succumbing to an on-ice injury sustained in 1968.
Should Hayes win, he’d become the fifth Flyer to win the Masterton, joining Bobby Clarke (1972), Tim Kerr (1989), Ian Laperrière (2011) and current teammate Oskar Lindblom (2021).
