Connor Hellebuyck will not be in net for his much-anticipated return to Winnipeg, but he was peppered with questions regarding his decision to request a trade from the Jets after Tuesday's morning skate.
With members of the Winnipeg media in attendance, the star goaltender revealed, to his own level of comfort, what led him to leave the only franchise he had known across his decorated NHL career.
"This is a very complex decision and a very difficult one," Hellebuyck said, via Anthony Corona of NJ.com. "There’s no one singular moment that wasn’t important in all of this decision-making, and this is over a span of time. I will say, with all the uncertainty I was experiencing, there were 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."
Asked to elaborate on what happened that made Hellebuyck feel that leaving Winnipeg was what's best for himself and his family, the 33-year-old pointed to threats to his family that were more than just virtually delivered.
"I’m not going to judge a few moments, or I’m not going to project a few moments on the entire city. I’ve been very connected with this community, and I’ve loved my time here," Hellebuyck said. "But there are a few moments that I don’t want to see happen again, and it is more than just online death threats. And I’m going to ask you to respect my privacy and my family’s privacy. I won’t go deeper than that. But there is more that made me and my family uncomfortable. On top of some uncertainty with my career, I felt that a change in scenery was what was best."
Hellebuyck reiterated his desire for privacy when asked again on specifics surrounding the threats that contributed to his desire to leave Winnipeg, though he did also point to the direction the Jets were seemingly headed, which he did not foresee happening during the span of the contract he signed a seven-year, $59.5 million extension in 2023. Hellebuyck, the backbone of the USA team that stunned Canada in a thrilling gold medal game at the Olympics earlier this year, also touched on the political fallout of his win with Team USA while living in Canada.
"I’m sure it did a little bit," Hellebuyck said when asked if politics played a role in his decision. "Is it fair? I don’t think it matters if it’s fair or not. Those are accomplishments that I will never apologize for and I will never speak negatively about. 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. And like I was saying before, I’ve loved playing in Canada. I’m enjoying my time in New Jersey. I don’t want to have to pin anyone against each other. I just hopefully give you guys some answers and can move on."
Fans and media members became even hungrier for answers after the Devils and GM Sunny Mehta released a statement announcing that Hellebuyck would not play in his first game back at Canada Life Centre, citing that "in our estimation, playing in this game would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability." The decision, and the statement, was widely ripped across the hockey world, as New Jersey elected to prioritize upcoming games against the division rival Capitals over Hellebuyck's emotional return to the arena he used to call home. Hellebuyck reiterated that he fought to play on Tuesday night, but "respected" the organization's decision. He will watch the game from an undisclosed location, and while his view will not be from between the pipes, he is certainly going to hear it from the hostile crowd.
"To the people that feel that I’ve been disloyal, well, there’s also a lot that I was not expecting to happen throughout this contract," Hellebuyck said. "And the day that I said I was a Jet for life, I meant it. But I also didn’t foresee the future that was going to happen."
Hellebuyck explained, to his level of comfort, what led to his trade request from the Jets.
Hellebuyck explained, to his level of comfort, what led to his trade request from the Jets.
