The USA struck first, scoring in the first period. Barely two minutes into the second, defender Cale Makar finally found a way behind the goalie’s back, tying the game at one.
Then, the goaltender started his show.
Superstar Nathan MacKinnon, who led the NHL in goals last year, fired six shots. None went in. Rising star Macklin Celebrini also shot six times, but all his effort came on empty. Brad Marchand. Mitch Marner. Connor McDavid. All decorated, terrific, elite players. Nobody found a way to outsmart Connor Hellebuyck.
The gold medal clash went to overtime, where United States’ Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal to put his country on top.
Hellebuyck propelled his team to the ultimate pinnacle, becoming an Olympic champion. He also took home the best goalkeeper award after posting a 5-0-0 record with a 1.18 goals-against average (GAA) and a .956 save percentage (SV%). In the finals, he stopped 41 out of 42 shots. The country had a new hero.
Unexpected rise
Hellebuyck grew up in snowy Michigan, a state known for its passion for pucks and sticks. His older brother, Chris, also played hockey, and Connor followed in his footsteps. He idolised Olaf Kolzig and dreamed of becoming a goalie himself. But his hockey story began far from the bright lights of the NHL.
After graduating from high school, Hellebuyck played one season of junior hockey for the Odessa Jackalopes in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). He joined the Jackalopes virtually unknown. Hellebuyck was not considered one of the top goaltending prospects in North America entering the 2012 NHL Draft. He wasn't even among NHL Central Scouting's top 36 North American goalies. That quickly changed.
During the 2011-2012 season, Hellebuyck played in 53 games, posted a 26-21-5 record, a 2.49 GAA, and a .930 SV%. He recorded three shutdowns and was named the NAHL Co-Rookie of the Year and Co-Goaltender of the Year.
Following his breakout season, the Winnipeg Jets selected Hellebuyck in the fifth round, 130th overall, in the 2012 NHL Draft. He was still a diamond in the rough, though, and chose to follow a collegiate hockey path. After earning a scholarship to UMass Lowell, he suited up for the River Hawks for two seasons in the Hockey East Conference.
In his collegiate campaign, he competed in 54 games and compiled a 38-12-2 record and a 0.946 SV% and 1.60 GAA. He led UMass Lowell to a Frozen Four appearance as a freshman while guiding the River Hawks to a Hockey East championship. Hellebuyck became the only player in Hockey East history to win the tournament MVP twice. In 2013-2024, he was awarded the prestigious Mike Richter Award for the best goaltender in college hockey. He left UMass Lowell as the program’s shutout leader with 12, and owns two single-season records: best save percentage (.952) and GAA (1.37).
After two stellar seasons, he decided to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Jets in April 2015. Once again, the rising star had a chip on his shoulder and lots to prove.
Later that year, Hellebuyck was cut from the Jets’ roster and sent to the St. John’s IceCaps, Winnipeg’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.
"After two great years, I had to look at my career as a whole and think about my next step. After talking to both teams, it was a very difficult decision, but I thought my play was ready for the next level,” said Hellebuyck.
Becoming a star
He never wavered in his decision and focused on getting better. At first, he was sharing the net with Slovak goalie Peter Budaj but earned the starting spot by mid-November.
"I'm not one to use the word 'surprise' haphazardly, but yeah, I have been surprised,” said IceCaps’ head coach Keith McCambridge.
Hellebuyck finished his rookie year in the AHL with a 28–22–5 record, 2.58 GAA, and 0.921 SV% while earning a spot in the 2015 AHL All-Star Game.
After the season, the IceCaps moved to Winnipeg and became the Manitoba Moose. Hellebuyck began the year with the franchise, but quickly received an opportunity to taste the NHL after Jets’ goalkeeper Ondřej Pavelec got hurt.
He made his NHL debut on November 27, 2015 against the Minnesota Wild. He stopped 28 of 29 shots and helped Winnipeg to a 3-1 victory.
And that marked the beginning of his NHL career. He didn't need long to show that he belonged.
After Pavelec returned, Hellebuyck finished the year with the Moose, but after the season concluded, he never returned to the AHL. He made the Jets’ roster ahead of the 2016-2017 season and never looked back. A year later, Winnipeg signed him to a contract extension, and Hellebuyck rewarded the organization's trust with another breakthrough.
During the 2017–18 season, Hellebuyck had become Winnipeg's unquestioned No. 1 goaltender. He won 44 games, posted a .924 SV% and helped the Jets reach the Western Conference Final. His breakout season earned him a Vezina Trophy finalist nomination and established him as one of the league's elite goaltenders.
Trophies and milestones
Two years later, Hellebuyck reached another level. After finishing the season with 31 wins, a .922 SV% and six shutouts, he finally won the Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender in the NHL. He became Winnipeg's staple. An icon. A source of quality and consistency in the crease.
In 2021, Hellebuyck was outstanding during Winnipeg's first-round sweep of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He started all four games, helping the Jets advance before Montreal eliminated them in the second round.
In 2024-2025, Hellebuyck had arguably the biggest individual chapter of his career. He went 47–14–4 with a 2.00 GAA, .925 save percentage, and eight shutouts, leading the NHL in wins and goals-against average. He helped Winnipeg win the Central Division and Presidents’ Trophy.
He won the Vezina Trophy for the second consecutive year and third time overall, becoming only the fourth goaltender to win at least three Vezinas under the current format. Even more importantly, he won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. He became the first goaltender to win the Hart since Carey Price in 2015.
On January 7, 2025, Hellebuyck recorded his 300th NHL victory, reaching the milestone in his 538th game, making him the third-fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach 300 wins, behind Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jacques Plante.
Then, he was the starting goalie for Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and helped his team to reach the championship game against Canada. A year later, he led the United States to the Olympic gold medal.
Hellebuyck has established himself as a franchise goaltender and one of the best goalies of his generation. After 11 seasons with the Jets, everyone expected the star to return and push Winnipeg toward a deep postseason run while competing for the Stanley Cup. Instead, the fans learned a few days ago that Hellebuyck didn’t report to training camp, which resulted in his suspension.
Unexpected turnaround
In late August, Hellebuyck disclosed that he asked the organization for a trade several months ago. But the Jets failed to find a new home for their superstar goaltender.
“My position has not changed, and I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family,” Hellebuyck said.
He also added that he “tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options.”
https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/2100389988575666312
The 33-year-old goalie signed an eight-year, $59.5 million contract extension in 2023. But despite being under contract through 2031, he wants to play hockey elsewhere.
"Winnipeg has been my home for my entire NHL career, and I will always be grateful for my time there," Hellebuyck said. "I appreciate everything Winnipeg Jets fans have meant to me throughout my career."
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff remains hopeful that Hellebuyck and Winnipeg can find a way to remain together. As the Jets prepare for the upcoming season, Cheveldayoff is working on a solution to keep Hellebuyck on the roster - not just on paper, but on the ice, starring in the net.
"No doors are closed. He's a player that's under contract for five years. But at the end of the day, that's his choice," said Cheveldayoff at the opening of training camp on Thursday.
It’s not that Winnipeg wants to keep Hellebuyck at all costs - but Cheveldayoff hasn’t been able to get an offer that he deemed equal value.
"If you're a team that has a bona fide No. 1 goaltender and he's locked up and he's yours, you're probably not interested. And it's not disparaging Connor Hellebuyck or anything like that. It's just the goalie market in general," Cheveldayoff said. "So the fact of the matter that a team might be on the list as an available option has a No. 1 goaltender, well, that's kind of a moot point.”
Also, according to TSN, Hellebuyck won’t waive his no-movement clause to join any of the six other Canadian teams.
"I'm not going to get into the specific teams. My guess is to what his restrictions are in those regards. Again, the choices that he makes are the choices that he makes. I don't have an understanding as to why he made some of the choices that he made when talking about those kind of situations," Cheveldayoff said.
Not the only one
Hellebuyck isn’t the only star forcing his way out of a franchise, by far. Most recently, star left winger Brady Tkachuk requested a trade from the Ottawa Senators after eight years during the 2026 offseason, bringing an unexpected end to his tenure with the franchise.
Tkachuk had served as Ottawa’s captain for five seasons and became one of the team’s defining players, recording 213 goals and 463 points in 572 games. But after the Senators endured another early playoff exit, Tkachuk said he wanted out. He provided Ottawa with a four-team list - Florida, Carolina, Minnesota, and Las Vegas - and the organization ultimately dealt him to the Panthers, where he reunited with his brother, Matthew.
The departure was difficult for Ottawa's locker room. Defenseman Thomas Chabot said players wanted Tkachuk to remain with the team and acknowledged that the decision was disappointing, while head coach Travis Green later described the trade request as disappointing because of his relationship with the former captain.
In 1991, the NHL experienced one of the most famous and wildest player-team disputes in league history. Eric Lindros was drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques but refused to sign with the team at any price. Rather than suit up for the Nordiques, the talented right winger burned an entire season of his career staying out of the league, just practicing and competing with the Canadian national team, and participated in the 1992 Olympics.
His refusal created an enormous bidding war, with several NHL teams interested in acquiring his rights. He eventually ended up with the Philadelphia Flyers. Lindros didn't simply ask for a trade - he refused to play for the team that drafted him and waited nearly an entire season to receive one of the most complicated trades the NHL had ever seen.
In the 2026 offseason, center Dylan Larkin requested a trade from Detroit and provided the Red Wings with a short list of teams to which he would waive his no-trade clause. The request remains unresolved now. Larkin has spent his entire NHL career in Detroit and has not reached the playoffs since his rookie season. Larkin is nursing an injury right now, so he’s staying off the ice. But whether he will rejoin the Red Wings later is currently unclear, just like Hellebuyck’s fate.
Are both Hellebuyck and Larkin going to find a solution, or are they going to spend a season on the sidelines?