Former Ranger Kevin Hayes posted a heartbreaking tribute to Johnny Gaudreau after the Blue Jackets star player tragically passed away on Thursday night.

Hayes posted a photo of Gaudreau with his nephew Beau on his Instagram Story with the caption, “I love you John! Say hi to Beau’s dad for me.”

In the photo, Gaudreau appears to be extending his arm to Beau for a high-five.

Beau’s father is Jimmy Hayes, Kevin’s older brother. He passed away in August 2021, the day after Beau’s second birthday.

A toxicology report later showed he had cocaine and fentanyl in his system, his family told The Boston Globe.

Kevin Hayes also had close ties to Gaudreau, dating back to their days at Boston College. A video went viral on Friday showing Gaudreau dancing on the shoulders of fellow superstar Brady Tkachuk at Hayes’ wedding.

Hayes, who now plays for the Penguins, wrote an article for The Players’ Tribune last year in memory of his brother.

“Jimmy was my biggest fan,” Kevin Hayes wrote. “I could do no wrong in his eyes. He always believed I was an All-Star, year after year. I miss those FaceTime calls with him on the way home from games more than anything in the world.”

“.. It still feels surreal. Sometimes it hurts so bad I can barely stand it. That’s just the truth. It sucks. It sucks to talk about. It sucks to remember. It sucks to know I’ll never hear any of his stories again. It just sucks.”

Jimmy’s widow, Kristen Hayes, also mourned the tragic passing of the Gaudreau brothers in an Instagram Story on Friday.

“Unbelievable news this morning. Heartbreaking. Words fail me,” she wrote, adding a broken heart emoji.

The deaths of Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Thursday night, who were struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, have sparked a similar outpouring of support across the NHL.

In Columbus, where Gaudreau played the last two seasons for the Blue Jackets, fans paid impromptu tribute with a memorial outside Nationwide Arena, laying flowers, hats and hockey sticks in memory.