Jets' Connor Hellebuyck sticking to same script heading into new ...

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Published Sep 26, 2024  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  3 minute read

Connor Hellebuyck is ready to have another good season for the Jets. Photo by KEVIN KING /Winnipeg Sun

Upon reflection, Connor Hellebuyck isn’t going to attempt to reinvent the wheel.

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When he spoke at Winnipeg’s exit interviews a few months back, the 31-year-old wore his heart on his sleeve.

The emotions that flowed from getting yanked in Winnipeg’s 5-1 Game 4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche led to a moment of clarity for the two-time Vezina winner. He couldn’t do it alone.

“That was my mindset — I needed to do this alone,” Hellebuyck said in early May. “That was the realization that I need to be part of this team more than I am, and to take everything onto my shoulders — and that’s, I’m talking me personally, that’s not me talking against the team — it’s just the way my mentality is, I’m trying to put everything on my shoulders.”

Those comments came just a few days after another disappointment for his Jets in the playoffs.

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It was still raw.

His numbers weren’t good in the series, but the team around him crumbled against the Avs.

He was right that he couldn’t do it alone. Not when it all fell apart.

But after some time to consider it, there seemed no need to fix what wasn’t broken.

“I really liked my game, I really liked my mindset,” he said Thursday. “There’s two different ways to go about it: Try and do it yourself or try and rely on a team. The way that I’ve gotten to where I am today is really digging into myself and doing everything I can, which really helps the team in the long run.”

Don’t deviate from the plan was Hellebuyck’s conclusion.

“That’s going to help this team win,” he said.

It has for years.

You don’t become a four-time Vezina nominee by losing, and Hellebuyck has, at times, single-handedly pushed, pulled, and dragged this team to the playoffs.

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Last year, arguably, was the first of his career where he didn’t have to be otherworldly.

Winnipeg’s team defence increased tremendously, helping Hellebuyck capture the William M. Jennings trophy for the fewest goals allowed in the regular season.

He was elite, no question. Adding his second Vezina to the trophy cabinet proves that.

That’s his norm now. It’s part of his evolution as the world’s best netminder.

Given that much of the position can be viewed as voodoo, Hellebuyck explained his own progression in as simple terms as he could on Thursday.

“Not only has my structure become second nature, but I think it’s the mind,” he said. “It’s the mental game, and the way you read the game. I’ve seen a lot of shots and a lot of plays go down, so recognizing what’s going to happen next is becoming more and more second nature. So the biggest thing that I’ve kind of learned is how to recognize instantly and then being able to get ahead of the game and jump ahead a little bit.”

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His explanation didn’t stop there.

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His explanation didn’t stop there.

It’s not always going to go his way. The playoffs are the most recent example, highlighted by being pulled from that game—an ultra-rare occurrence for the Michigan product.

“The other side is the mental side of things, where if things don’t go to plan, which the more and more I play, the less and less they don’t go as planned, but being able to handle and toss it out the window and not think about it twice is really important in this league and this sport,” he said. “That’s a big jump that I’ve made in the last couple of years.”

Hellebuyck’s been saying for a few seasons now that his only goal is the Stanley Cup.

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No matter where you lay the blame for his playoff performances, improving those is the next level for him.

“We talked about him staying at that level that he’s been at, and winning us games when maybe we shouldn’t,” Arniel said of offseason conversations he and Hellebuyck had. “That’s just him. He’s done that ever since he’s been in the league. Once we eliminate eight teams and get into the playoffs, now it’s the next level for him. Now, he has to make sure that he beats that goaltender at the other end of the rink.

“That’s something we’ll leave for another day. We did talk about when we get to that point, there’s another level he has to go to as well.”

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