Johnny Gaudreau and Kevin Hayes Named NHL All Stars

Two former members of the Boston College men’s hockey team were elected to the NHL All Star team on Thursday night. Johnny Gaudreau and Kevin Hayes used to skate on the same line while playing at BC, and now the two will be reunited on the Metropolitan division team when the league breaks for its All Star festivities in a little less than a month’s time.

Gaudreau was the no doubt selection from the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are struggling as a team this season but through no fault of Gaudreau’s. While Columbus is last in the Eastern Conference by a significant margin, Gaudreau is still putting up big numbers, with 11 goals and 27 assists in 37 games so far. Not only is that good for the best on his team, but Gaudreau is 16 points clear of second place, making him a fairly easy selection. This is the seventh time Gaudreau has been named to the All Star Game in his career.

Kevin Hayes’s selection came as a bit of a surprise considering how the recent weeks have gone for the Philadelphia Flyers’ forward. Hayes has been the subject of some rather public criticism from head coach John Tortorella, and has seen his ice time cut pretty significantly as a result, even resulting in Hayes being a healthy scratch not too long ago. Still, it is impossible to deny that Hayes has been productive offensively while on the ice. He is second on the Flyers in scoring with 10 goals and 35 points in 38 games and is on pace to shatter his previous career high of 55 points. This is the first All Star game for Kevin Hayes.

Gaudreau and Hayes were both extremely productive players for the Boston College men’s hockey team in their time as Eagles and played important roles on the 2012 team that won the national championship. They both played their final season for BC in 2013-14, skating on the top line and combining for a ridiculous 145 points in 40 games. Congratulations to both players on being named All Stars and here’s hoping we get to see them reunited for a few games when they take the ice.