InsaneJournal

#18155: Today, I told my mom I loved her, and she asked if I was going to kill myself.

Jon Hayes

d.o.b. August 14, 1982.
birthplace. Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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Jonathan Stephen Hayes was born into a large, music loving family on August 14, 1982. His mother, Denise, had sung in a band in high school from the time that she had him, and his father, Michael, had played a plethora of instruments since he was ten years old, still playing in a cover band that frequented the Halifax bar scene. By day, Denise was a homemaker, and Michael, the owner and operator of music shop that sold instruments, and specialized in selling cassettes of local artists and offering instrument repairs. Jon had two older brothers - Ken and Michael Jr. (M.J.) - who were three and five years older than him respectively, and who also had a deep love for music. M.J. already knew a few chords on the guitar, and Ken's favourite toy was a toy piano. The family lived in a picturesque three bedroom home in nearby Lower Sackville, a fifteen minute car ride from Nova Scotia's capital city. While Jon enjoyed music, he had no real interest in playing it. Instead, his attentions were focused more on sports. Especially hockey.

From the age of three, Jon expressed a deep interest in hockey, that was mirrored by the rest of his family's interest in music. Not wanting to force Jon into something he had no interest in, and wanting to keep their son happy, Denise and Michael saw to it that they involved their son in as much hockey culture as possible. Michael learned to skate, and in turn began taking his son to the local rinks, and frozen ponds and lakes. The two would engage in games of one on one hockey with mini sticks, Jon's older brothers occasionally playing as well. When Jon was six-years-old, an American Hockey League team was established in Halifax - the Halifax Citadels. Michael took his son to as many games as he possibly could, and that year also enrolled Jon in the local novice hockey team, The Sackville Flyers, and played right wing. Jon enjoyed every waking moment spent at the rink, whether it be with his own team, or at the Halifax Metro Centre watching the Halifax Citadels. He ate, slept, and breathed hockey. His Saturday nights consisted of watching Hockey Night in Canada, where he often cheered for the Montréal Canadiens.

In the few moments that Jon did not spend his time at the rink as a child, his days were spent at Hillside Park Elementary School, where he showed himself to be a bright and attentive student. Knowledge was his second love compared to hockey, and upon entering A.J. Smeltzer Junior High at the age of twelve, he proved himself to be a serious contender for most of the school's scholastic achievements. Jon played on the school's hockey team - the A.J. Smeltzer Jaguars. He stretched his time between his school team, and the community's peewee and later bantam team. He had time for little else in his life beside hockey and his studies. In 1993, the Halifax Citadels team had folded, but in 1994 a new team was introduced to the Halifax area, a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team, the Halifax Mooseheads. Jon dreamed of one day playing right wing for the QMJHL team, lacing up skates alongside greats like Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Jody Shelley. When Jon left junior high to attend Sackville High School, he had obtained the highest marks in subjects such as Math, Science, English, and Social Studies.

While the majority of Jon's life contained hockey, he always made time for his family. Michael still ran his music shop in the province's major city, Ken was finishing up grade twelve and attempting to figure out where he wanted to go to university, M.J. had gone off to Schulich School of Music (a constituent facility of McGill University) in Montréal where he was obtaining his Bachelor of Music. Denise still held down the fort at the Hayes home, proud of all her boys (and men), supporting them in every avenue. She attended all of the gigs Ken's alternative rock band put on, and all of Jon's hockey games - for the school and for his midget league. Having never left the province, Jon was beside himself when M.J. invited him to Montréal for a week, promising to indulge his younger brother in a Montréal Canadiens game. Attending the game had solidified even more so Jon's desire to make it into the big leagues, and he would do so at any cost.

Jon excelled on Sackville High's hockey team, the SHS Kingfishers, and became a figurehead on the Sackville Flyer's AAA team. Jon really began perfecting his style at this point. He was quick on his skates, and while not exactly a finesse player, he could get the puck in the net, and could be an enforcer if need be. It was at a Sackville Flyer's game where Jon caught the eye of a QMJHL scout. At the age of seventeen, Jon became a member of the Rimouski Océanic, based out of Rimouski, Quebec. While Jon was sad to leave home, as well as his school and community hockey teams, this was a step in the direction that he had always dreamed of. Jon's first season with the Océanic was the 1999 - 2000 season, where he played right wing on the second line, the third power play line, and the second penalty kill line.

Life in Rimouski was certainly different than life in Lower Sackville. What little French Jon had mastered in his French classes did not suffice, and he spent time with his French-speaking teammates learning the language. He continued to excel in his studies, while keeping playing hockey his top priority. While Jon had always been good looking and had a couple of girlfriends (although nothing serious), nothing had ever prepared him for The Puck Bunnies that would frequent his team's games. Against his better judgment, but the insistence of his teammates, Jon hooked up with a woman two years his senior at a game against the Drummondville Voltigeurs in Drummondville, Quebec in March of 2001. He lost his virginity to a complete stranger in the bathroom of a Burger King. Jon dated girls in Rimouski whom he met through his teammates, but very rarely got beyond a couple of months with them, as he spent far too much time on the road. He graduated high school through correspondence, and put off enrolling in college, figuring he had at the most two years left in the QMJHL. If he had not been drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) by then, he would enroll in university, possibly based on a sports scholarship.

In 2002, in his last season with the Rimouski Océanic, Jon was invited to the NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held from June 22 to June 23 Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Jon did his best not to get his hopes up for being drafted, but there was some buzz around his name. Jon was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, 54th overall. After completing his last season with the Océanic, Jon was sent to play for the Blackhawks' affiliate team in Rockford, Illinois, the Rockford Ice Hogs.

Jon fell in love with Illinois. It was certainly not Nova Scotia, but he was eager to make the state his new home, and was happily awaiting the day he would get called up by the Blackhawks to fill in a spot on their roster, and eventually become a fixture on the team. Until that day, though, he was content to play with the Ice Hogs. Jon enrolled at Rock Valley College, taking the Business Administration degree program.

On Tuesday, October 16, 2006 Jon got the call. It had been a little over four years since he had been drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, and while he hadn't lost hope, he had begun to wonder if this day would ever come. There was an injury on the team, could he fill in for a couple of games? Jon didn't even take a moment to think about it. He responded instantly, and was at the United Center for practice a couple of hours later. Jon was in his element, and the twenty-four year old did not fail to impress his teammates. It was brought into question why he had not been brought up to the big leagues sooner, and no one really had an answer. What mattered was that he was there, and if the next couple of games went well, Jon could easily find himself on the roster for the rest of the season.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006, the Chicago Blackhawks played host to the Montréal Canadiens, Jon's favourite team as a child. He was a little star struck to be in the presence of such talented and admired hockey players, but benched those feelings in order to deliver for his team, and prove himself as a hockey player. This had been the moment he had been working so hard for his entire life. His parents and older brothers had even flown into Chicago to see him play.

Despite close to twenty years of preparing for the moment when he could finally say, "I've made it," nothing could have prepared him for what happened 15 minutes and 21 seconds into the second period of the game. After going into the boards to retrieve the puck, and was checked from behind into the boards. The hit drove Jon's head into the boards, and he crumpled to the ice seconds later. He had lost consciousness, and had to be removed from the ice on a stretcher. Later in hospital, it had been determined that he had suffered a grade IV concussion, which would ultimately last two weeks, with a high risk of subsequent concussions for a month. With rest, exercise, and physician approval, Jon would be able to return to the ice after a month's time. However, the player who Jon had been filling in for returned two games later, free of injury. There was no need for Jon on the roster anymore.

Jon hasn't been called up to play with the Blackhawks since, and while his dreams to eventually play in the NHL were what kept him playing with the Ice Hogs, he realized that it was unlikely that a twenty-six year old would be called up when there were much younger players that the team could choose from. Not wanting to spend the entirety of his life working toward becoming a washed up hockey player, Jon left the Ice Hogs at the end of the 2007 - 2008 season, packed his bags, and relocated to Chicago.

Chicago has been kind to Jon since he moved in July of 2008. Jon never intended to give up on hockey completely, simply decided to relent in his quest to make it to the big leagues. He joined a pick-up hockey team which often meets every Wednesday night, and is looking for an opportunity to coach a minor hockey team, ideally Novice or Atom. However, Jon has discovered a new passion since arriving in Chicago; his sports equipment shop, Sportwheels.

Upon arriving in the community of Roseland, Chicago, Jon noticed the severe lack of a sporting goods store. Having grown up with a sports shop a ten minute walk from his home in Lower Sackville, Jon couldn't imagine not having one in the vicinity of his new home. He took out a substantial loan, and bought out a small, former bakery which he began to slowly transform into what would become his pride and joy.

Sportwheels is still growing, having only had it's grand opening in October of 2008. The amount of stock isn't large, nor is the number of people coming through the doors, but in the few months Jon has been open, he has built a loyal customer base, with most of his new customers coming to the shop through word of mouth. Sportwheels specializes in primarily hockey equipment - both new and second hand - skate sharpenings, refurbished bicycles, and other sporting equipment as well. However, it is evident when one walks through the doors what Jon's passion is. He spends most of his days and nights at the store, doing everything in his power to ensure it survives it's first year, which is the most difficult for any new store.

Jon's conversations with his family often result in them constantly asking him how he's doing, if he's okay, with the slightest declaration of affection resulting in accusations that he must be going to kill himself and that he should come home. With Jon's parents being fairly level-headed, he's often wondered why they have reactions such as this. He attributes it to him growing up with the dream to make it to the NHL. A dream so large, that is eclipsed many other things in his life. While his dream was certainly to make it to the NHL, and one day take a drink of wine from the Stanley Cup, he wouldn't trade his current circumstances for anything in the world. For the first time in twenty-three years, Jon can relax.

Facts

Despite being away from home since he was a teenager, Jon still gets extremely homesick from time to time. He often sees his family twice a year - they come and visit him in the summer, and he goes back home for Christmas. If he's feeling particularly lousy, he's not above calling home and requesting his mother send him some homemade cookies.

Hockey has always been Jon's first passion, but he has had a love for music as well, considering his family's musical roots. He can't carry a tune to save his life, but spends his scarce free Sunday afternoons attempting to learn the bass guitar.

Jon's older brothers, Ken (twenty-nine) and M.J. (thirty-one), have also been successful in their careers. Ken has relocated to Toronto, and fronts an alternative rock group who have already made a name for themselves in Canada, and M.J. is a high school music teacher in Halifax who is married and expecting his first child.

While Jon has dated a number of girls, he's never been in a relationship that lasted more then five months. This is primarily attributed to his hockey career, as the girls he was dating either didn't have time for him or his first love, or were simply "puck bunnies" who left when they realized he didn't have much money.

Jon is currently renting a one bedroom apartment, located in the suburb of Roseland on South Vernon. It's not much, but is spacious with high ceilings and is probably more than he currently needs, as he often sleeps slumped over his desk at work.

Having always wanted a dog when he was growing up (his mother was allergic to pet dander), upon finally settling down in Chicago he bought a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, who he named Chad. Since Jon spends a lot of his free time at the Sportwheels, Chad often accompanies him and has become the designated "shop dog." He absolutely loves the customers, and is often seen sporting a Chicago Blackhawks jersey on game days.