PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 23: Kevin Hayes #13 of the Philadelphia Flyers reacts after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers in the third period at the Wells Fargo Center on December 23, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Rangers 5-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Date Published: 1-7-2022
Photo Credit: Jill Rice
Kevin Hayes was surprisingly nominated to the All-Star game during the Flyers game on Thursday night, “Oh yeah, it’s awesome. Kevin’s been great in this league for a long time and has done a lot of great things,” Travis Konecny said of Hayes being selected to his first All-Star game. “He deserves to be there. He’s been carrying a lot of the offense for most of this year and doing a lot of good things. Everyone’s happy for him. He’s a good guy in the locker room, so you know he’s gonna be loved when he’s there too. Gonna be fun to see what he’s doing and what events he’s doing.”
Konecny continues, “It’s pretty special for him. I’m sure he’s gonna have his brother’s kids there too, enjoying it and being a part of that. It’s gonna be an awesome experience for him, and like I said, we are all really proud of him.” No animosity between the two, first off it’s out of Konecny’s hands who is selected, so he can only be happy for Hayes.
Hayes is a big bodied Center, as he stands at 6’5,” and weighs 220 pounds. He has provided much-needed size down the middle for the Flyers, and Hayes is also versatile. Hayes can play the Wing and the Penalty Kill. He has played as a left winger, right winger, and center this season. In addition, John Tortorella has thrown him on lines 1-3 at different times, and he just excels wherever he is placed within the lineup. Hayes is a legit scoring threat this season, a season in which he has helped the Flyers immensely. Better yet, Hayes seems to be doing everything right offensively as he has tallied 10 goals, and 25 assists for a total of 35 points in 38 games played.
“It could’ve been a couple guys in this room. It’s nice to be nominated as an All-Star. It’s a cool situation for me because, not to get emotional but it’s the only thing my brother since he stopped playing hockey, wanted me to accomplish. I never honestly thought it would happen, but it did. It’s cool. I know my family is very excited and his son, Beau, will be with me the whole time. It will be an extra special experience.” – Kevin Hayes on being nominated to his first All-Star game
His most important attribute for this young orange and black club are his play driving skills. Hayes is not in the dog house like some have thought with the way he has been utilized this season. Tortorella just needs to find balance and chemistry with his lines, so he places Hayes where there might be a weakness:
“Everybody thinks Kevin’s in the doghouse. Kevin isn’t in the doghouse. Kevin needs to learn to play the right way, and I think he’s trying to do that. He gets an opportunity tonight and scores a goal for us.” – John Tortorella
Over a month ago Hayes was benched, and he totally didn’t understand why he was benched. Hayes vocally stated this, as opposed to taking the benching on the chin. All in all, this is in the past now, and everyone can move forward. As previously mentioned, this will be Hayes’s first All-Star game appearance in the NHL.
“It’s nice. The best part is just waking up, going to the rink, and feeling healthy, which is a major step considering last couple years,” Hayes said. “It’s cool to be nominated, but as I said, it could’ve been anyone.”
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