Entering the Olympics, there’s a decent chance you did not know who Connor Hellebuyck was, but now he’s an American hero.
Hellebuyck made 41 saves in Sunday’s gold medal game, including one with his stick behind his back to help secure the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.
The talk around Hellebuyck in NHL circles has always been his performance in big games, and in the biggest game of his life, he delivered on a worldwide stage.
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Hellebuyck, 32, was not exactly a top prospect in his younger days but made a name for himself at UMass Amherst. After being a fourth-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets (130th overall) in 2012, he spent two seasons in college, winning the Hockey East Conference both times, making the Frozen Four in his freshman year, and being named the top college goalie in his sophomore season.
Hellebuyck made his NHL debut on Nov. 27, 2015, winning his first four games and recording a shutout in just his ninth. He broke out in his third season, leading the NHL with 44 wins en route to not only his first All-Star nod but also finishing second in the Vezina Trophy voting as the league’s top goaltender, an award he took home two years later.
The Olympics was not the first time Hellebuyck represented the United States, either — he was on the team in the 4 Nations and played in the men’s world championships in both 2015 and 2017.
The Jets goalie is now the back-to-back reigning Vezina Trophy winner as one of just 13 goalies in NHL history to win the award three or more times. He also is the reigning Hart Memorial Trophy winner, given to the NHL’s Most Valuable Player.
The regular-season success, however, has come at the expense of playoff success.
Ever since making the Western Conference Finals in his breakout 2017-18 campaign, Hellebuyck and the Jets have not been able to get past the second round. He is 24-34 lifetime in the playoffs, and his save percentage is .903, down from .917 in the regular season. Owning a 2.79 GAA (goals-against average) of 2.55 in the regular season since 2017, that number is 2.90 in the playoffs.
The story, perhaps, might be unwritten after his magic in Milan. In five games played, he stopped 95.6% of the shots on goal (131 of 137) and allowed more than one goal just once — in the semifinal against Slovakia.
Hellebuyck’s heroics have tabbed him arguably the MVP of the American team that was desperate for gold. While Jack Hughes’ golden goal has been the main conversation, President Donald Trump took note of Hellebuyck’s performance and announced at Tuesday’s State of the Union that he will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The return of the NHL season will be awkward for Hellebuyck, who will have to head back to Canada after breaking the hearts of his very own Jets fans. His squad needs a miracle to make the playoffs this year, but with Hellebuyck in net, a bounce-back next season should never be counted out.
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