Closure? Maybe not. Cathartic? You bet.
Connor Hellebuyck missed a heck of a hockey game Tuesday night in downtown Winnipeg, as Jets fans greeted their former franchise goaltender with a not-so-Friendly Manitoba welcome.
While the three-time Vezina Trophy winner, one-time Hart Trophy winner and Olympic gold medallist may have been somewhat insulated by hiding out in the video room during what felt like a three-hour group therapy session, there’s no question a significant statement was made inside Canada Life Centre.
Hellebuyck and his new team really have no one to blame but themselves.
FRED GREENSLADE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Winnipeg Jets fans had a bevy of creative posters for former netminder Connor Hellebuyck on Tuesday night.
This entire ordeal was mishandled in just about every way imaginable, from the New Jersey Devils hilariously citing a computer-generated “win probability” program to explain their curious decision to start backup Jake Allen, to Hellebuyck conducting a bizarre 22-minute media availability earlier in the day that only raised more questions than it answered.
Any thoughts that the meet-and-greet with reporters might temper the reaction to Hellebuyck’s return were put to bed a few hours later, when 15,209 fans came armed with pointed signs and (mostly) clever chants as the Jets downed the Devils 4-2.
Among them: “Signed in pencil,” “You can’t fish here,” “Playoff choker,” “Playoff pylon,” “We don’t miss you,” “Where is Connor,” “We want Connor,” “Trump’s your daddy” and even a song to the tune of Oh My Darling, Clementine, with the lyrics changed to “You’re a coward, Hellebuyck.”
Hellebuyck’s only appearance in front of the crowd came during the 15-minute pre-game warmup, when his New Jersey teammates essentially flipped pucks at him in an attempt to deny fans the chance to cheer whenever one got past him. But a couple did, leading to the type of roar usually reserved for a big Jets goal.
Notably, as he stood near centre ice doing some stretches, not a single Winnipeg player made any attempt to communicate with him the way you often see when old friends become rivals.
FRED GREENSLADE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
New Jersey Devils goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was serenaded by Winnipeg Jets fans during warmup Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre.
All’s fair in love and war, right?
To be crystal clear, there is no question Hellebuyck and his family were the subject of some post-Olympic vitriol, triggered by the fact he was suddenly an American sports hero being celebrated at the White House and singled out for praise by U.S. President Donald Trump, who granted him the Medal of Freedom.
“Those are accomplishments that I will never apologize for, and I will never speak negatively about,” said Hellebuyck.
“I know the sensitivity of what’s going on between the U.S. and Canada, and I’ve never gotten into politics deep with anyone because I’m a hockey player, and I play hockey, and I can only speak to the things that I do every day.”
However, his status obviously carried much more weight south of the border than it did here in Canada, which has been engaged in a trade war with the United States while fending off “51st state” threats. Not surprisingly, given both the state of the world and especially social media, some of the trolls crawled out from under their rocks.
FRED GREENSLADE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
15,209 Winnipeg Jets fans came to Tuesday’s game, some armed with pointed signs.
The Jets went so far as to have their security team speak with Winnipeg police shortly after Hellebuyck returned from Milan. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has confirmed this. No arrests were made, no charges were laid, and there was no determination whether some of the hate even originated in Winnipeg, Manitoba, or Canada.
Hellebuyck carried on with his season, receiving a rousing ovation in his first game back from Milan and even praising fans for how kind they were being to him.
Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon, when Hellebuyck spoke inside a jam-packed Matt Frost Media Centre and seemingly skewered this entire market without providing a shred of evidence, despite several opportunities to do so.
Why did he want out of Winnipeg, the place he once vowed to finish his NHL career and where he signed a seven-year contract extension in 2023?
“There was some moments and some things that happened to my family that for me crossed the line and as a husband and a father, I felt made that decision very certain that I needed to be a good husband and a good father and do what’s best for my family and my career,” said Hellebuyck.
“Those are accomplishments that I will never apologize for, and I will never speak negatively about.”
Oh, that sounds bad. Really bad. What exactly did people from around here do or say?
“I don’t want to try and ruin the relationship I have with the city because I’m not going to project a few moments on an entire city. I’ve been very connected with this community, and I’ve loved my time here but there are a few moments that I don’t want to see happen again,” Hellebuyck continued.
“It is more than just online death threats and I’m going to ask you to respect my privacy and my family’s privacy and I’m not going to go deeper than that. But there was more that made me and my family uncomfortable on top of some uncertainty with my career.”
Hellebuyck went on to explain why he essentially went on strike and refused to report to training camp in September, saying he wanted to remain with his wife and children back in Michigan since they wouldn’t have been coming back here under any circumstances.
That decision cost him nearly US$1 million in salary and certainly suggests he believed Winnipeg was no longer a safe place for his family.
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
The Free Press asked seven different questions of Hellebuyck during the scrum. Most related to the very serious claims he was making, combined with his actions, which seemingly feed into the anti-Winnipeg narrative that continues to permeate around the NHL.
“I have the utmost respect for this organization and I feel like they would do whatever it took to help me, and to provide support in whatever way I needed,” he said, singling out Jets co-owner Mark Chipman specifically.
“I spent a majority of my career speaking the other narrative, speaking how much I loved it there, and how this is a destination to play. You should want to play here. I signed long-term, hoping it would show that this is a good place to be a good hockey player and enjoy the hockey market, and that’s why I don’t want this to get out of hand.
“It’s not fair for the city. It’s not fair for the organization. It’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to the guys over in that locker room.”
Is anyone else confused?
“My family is a very private family. And we handle our business very privately.”
Although they aren’t commenting any further on what Hellebuyck had to say, sources say the Jets have a different take on what was reported to them, and when — only learning late in the summer of some additional allegations being made by Hellebuyck.
And it should be noted that none of his former teammates have come out publicly to back up his claims. Rather, many have given rather frosty answers, with head coach Scott Arniel flat-out saying Monday that Hellebuyck “gave up on us.”
Plenty of fans and pundits believe this wasn’t really about safety, but rather about wanting to play closer to home while also building his “brand” and increasing his earning potential away from the rink.
Hellebuyck even started his own Instagram account shortly after the Olympics and made the rounds this summer, including NASCAR races, fishing derbies, a Celebrity Family Feud appearance, the ESPY Awards and more.
Or maybe it’s simply about winning, with Hellebuyck — now 33 — deciding Winnipeg no longer offered him the best opportunity to do that.
Unfortunately, we may never know the full truth. Hellebuyck could have offered some clarity Tuesday, but instead only made things murkier.
“My family is a very private family. And we handle our business very privately,” he explained.
“I know from the outside looking in you can say, ‘You did this wrong you did that wrong.’ And maybe we did. We’re human, we might make mistakes along the way. But the way we handled it is the way we wanted to handle it and the way we’re going to continue to handle it: with privacy.”
That’s his right, of course. But it’s clear plenty of people — including former teammates and fans — aren’t buying what he’s selling.
winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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