{"id":469631,"date":"2026-02-24T14:37:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/469631\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:37:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:37:16","slug":"will-hellebuycks-olympics-spark-the-jets-or-quickly-fade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/469631\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Hellebuyck\u2019s Olympics Spark the Jets or Quickly Fade?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since the final buzzer sounded in the men\u2019s hockey gold-medal game in Italy, I\u2019ve been wondering what happens to Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> when he gets home to Winnipeg. He just put together one of the best stretches of goaltending we\u2019ve seen in forever\u20145-0 record, 1.23 GAA, .947 save percentage through the whole tournament. Then he capped it with that gold-medal masterpiece<\/a>: 41 saves on 42 shots against Canada\u2019s stacked attack in a 2-1 overtime win.<\/p>\n

It was the first American men\u2019s gold since 1980. He was unreal\u2014the absolute wall they needed.<\/p>\n

As Hellebuyck Arrives in Winnipeg, What Happens Now?<\/p>\n

So he flies home to Winnipeg, where things are still a grind for the Jets. Right now, the playoff odds are hovering under 20% in most projections\u2014not great. Hellebuyck\u2019s been okay but not vintage Hellebuyck: 13-16-7, 2.79 GAA, .900 save percentage over 36 games. A knee injury set him back, and the defence has allowed too many shots and odd-man chances. The stats aren\u2019t pretty, but it\u2019s not like he\u2019s the only problem.<\/p>\n

As he steps back into the Jets\u2019 room, there\u2019s one big question in my mind: Does that Olympic high carry over? I\u2019d bet the answer is yes. He proved to everyone in the world that, when everything\u2019s on the line, and he\u2019s surrounded by elite talent, he still might be the very best of the best. <\/p>\n

After a season that\u2019s been up and down, he must feel like a weight has been lifted. A competitor like Hellebuyck\u2014proud, driven\u2014carrying around that gold medal has to quiet some of the noise he\u2019s been carrying inside.<\/p>\n

How Might Hellebuyck\u2019s Stellar Games Impact His Team?<\/p>\n

But what about the guys in front of him? The blue line, especially. They just watched their goalie stonewall Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini, and Cale Makar for 60+ minutes while they themselves have been leaky all season. Does that spark a \u201cwe owe him\u201d moment and a late push? Or does it quietly embarrass some of them and drag the whole group down with heavier shoulders?<\/p>\n

\"ConnorConnor Hellebuyck was amazing in the Team USA crease.<\/p>\n

I lean toward the former in the short term \u2014 pride is a powerful thing \u2014 but the long season, the travel, and the standings make a real playoff spurt a heavy lift. Winnipeg\u2019s problems start well before the crease.<\/p>\n

For Hellebuyck personally, though? This feels like a piece of redemption, no matter what happens the rest of the way. He got to captain a winner (well, be the backbone of one) on the world\u2019s biggest stage without the daily weight of \u201cwhy can\u2019t Winnipeg win?\u201d hanging over every save. That kind of memory doesn\u2019t fade.<\/p>\n

The Olympics Showed Us the Best of Connor Hellebuyck. Now What Happens?<\/p>\n

The Olympics showed us the best version of Hellebuyck. Now we get to see if a little bit of that version can survive the grind back in Winnipeg. Could it go either way? And the jury is out on which way the team will go. It should be interesting over the next couple of weeks as the season resumes for the Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n

Related: Connor Hellebuyck Had That Look, And Canada Never Solved Him<\/a><\/p>\n

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