Jimmy Hayes is changing his number after being traded from the Florida Panthers to the Boston Bruins, and he's doing it for a special reason.
"I chose No. 11 to honor a good friend of mine, Corey Griffin, who passed away last summer," Hayes told the Bruins' official website Wednesday.
"He had been a huge part of my family and his family. We go back to youth hockey days."
Griffin was a philanthropist who helped the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge go viral and become a tremendously successful fundraising campaign after his friend, Pete Frates, was diagnosed. Griffin died last August after a diving accident.
"Just to be able to wear No. 11, the number he wore in high school and throughout his hockey career, is an honor for me to wear this number," Hayes said.
"I'll be able to wear 11 every night," he added. "He'll be with me every night, so it's just a huge honor for me to be able to wear it."
Hayes was dealt to Boston on July 1 after spending two seasons with the Panthers. He signed a three-year, $6.9-million deal with the Bruins on Monday.
The 25-year-old is a Dorchester, Mass., native who played three seasons at Boston College.
