HELLEBUYCK’S ARRIVAL HAS FUELLED JETS FOR TAKEOFF
Goaltender enjoying all-star season after doubts that he was worthy of the No. 1 role
Ask Connor Hellebuyck how he got to the NHL All-Star Game and the Winnipeg Jets goalie says it has to do with trusting himself that he could be among the league’s elite. But he also got here because of a lack of trust.
After a disastrous season last year, in which the Jets missed the playoffs in large part because Hellebuyck and backup Michael Hutchinson combined for the third-worst save percentage in the league, the team no longer trusted the 24-yearold to handle the starting job on his own. So Winnipeg went out and signed free-agent Steve Mason to a two-year, $8.2-million deal.
For Hellebuyck, it served as a wake-up call.
“It kind of said that they wanted to see some improvement,” he said of Mason coming in. “They wanted to give the team the best chance to win.”
In the end, that is what’s happened — but not like anyone had imagined. While Mason started the season as Winnipeg’s No. 1 goalie, it didn’t last long. He was pulled in the opening-night 7-2 loss to Toronto and followed it up with a 6-3 loss to Calgary, opening the door for Hellebuyck to steal back his job.
The Michigan native didn’t waste the opportunity. Hellebuyck won his first four starts and went more than a month before losing in regulation. With 26 wins (second to Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy), four shutouts (tied for second) and a .924 save percentage that is among the league’s best, he is a big reason why the Jets are leading the Central Division and considered a Stanley Cup contender.
“I’m sure there’s lots of people who wrote me off after last year,” said Hellebuyck. “So it is pretty nice to be here and to successfully show that I actually have more. That being said, my team’s playing very good in front of me and they win a lot of games. With team success comes individual success.”
Actually, the opposite is true. If there was one thing holding back the Jets from taking that next step and becoming a Stanley Cup contender, it was goaltending. Last year, the team scored the seventh-most goals in the league, but also gave up the fourth most. This season the team is in the top 10 in each category.
“I think we’ve learned a little how to play in front of him. That’s giving him confidence,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who also praised the team for making life easier on him.
“Imagine being a goalie and not seeing a lot of shots and then seeing a 2-on-1, a 2-on-0, a breakaway. We’re giving up crazy, egregious opportunities to our goalie in years past. And he was a young kid. You see those opportunities and you’re giving up those goals and it rattles you. So I think we’ve done a better job of cutting that out of our game and it’s given him a lot of confidence.
“You could see in the beginning of the year his confidence was growing and now it’s to the point where when we give up a tough, 2-on-1 or a breakaway, he’s making the save. That’s been the biggest difference in our team this year.”
The reason Hellebuyck is making those saves is because he trusts himself to do that. When he was struggling last season, he found that he was scrambling. This summer, he sought the help of four different personal coaches.
“Patience training,” said Hellebuyck. “Not just instantly going down. Being able to read the play and read the stick before (the shot) … letting it come to you before reacting to it. There’s a ton of trust there. I think the most important part is trust because once you have that trust foundation down, your body starts to react on its own.”
So does he believe he’s among the elite?
“We’re all here, right,” Hellebuyck said of being at the all-star game. “They’re all great goaltenders and I grew up watching them, too, but I’m here with them and I’m pretty excited about that.”
I’m sure there’s lots of people who wrote me off after last year. So it is pretty nice to be here and to successfully show that I actually have more.