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United States\u2019 Connor Hellebuyck (37) makes a stick save against Canada during the third period of Sunday\u2019s game. (Petr David Josek \/ The Associated Press)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an all-time performance from a superstar at his position. It\u2019s gonna go down as one of the best performances of all time \u2014 it has to.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Jack Hughes will forever be etched in history for scoring the golden goal during a brief three-on-three session for all the marbles, make no mistake: Hellebuyck is the only reason the Americans even got this beyond regulation.<\/p>\n
His personal highlight reel included stoning Connor McDavid on a breakaway, robbing Macklin Celebrini on another solo dash, and then committing grand theft larceny against Devon Toews with a diving paddle save.<\/p>\n
Just another day at the office? Hardly \u2014 though Hellebuyck admitted he sensed something special early.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s crazy, I came into this game, probably one of the biggest of my career, and the second I woke up (Sunday) morning I felt I was doing everything right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was stepping in the right spot, every step I took I felt right. It kinda translated.\u201d<\/p>\n
From walking the walk \u2014 quite literally \u2014 to talking the talk, Hellebuyck also explained the save that will live on forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, it\u2019s not my first stick save in my career. But it\u2019s probably the biggest moment to make a stick save,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, you know, when I\u2019m rolling back and puck\u2019s not in the net, it\u2019s just an overwhelming feel of \u2018I got this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a sweetness to the moment for Hellebuyck, who has long heard whispers in hockey circles questioning whether he\u2019s a \u201cbig-game goalie.\u201d Despite a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes a Hart Trophy, two Jennings and three Vezina Trophies, he has yet to lead the Jets to the Stanley Cup and has struggled at times in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose critics, they can keep writing,\u201d Hellebuyck said when asked about his reputation.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they don\u2019t understand goaltending. They definitely don\u2019t understand my game. I know what I\u2019m putting forward. I know what I\u2019m building. These are the moments that prove it \u2014 not that I need to, but these are the moments I enjoy and this is why I play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. defenceman Zach Werenski, who trains with Hellebuyck in Michigan during the off-season, said several narratives should finally be put to rest.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe showed the world why he\u2019s the best goalie in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cI honestly don\u2019t know if I have ever seen a goalie performance like that. Whatever people say about him, I think he put it to rest and I\u2019m happy about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hellebuyck was his big-and-boring best against Canada, unflappable amid the chaos around his crease. The only puck that beat him was a wicked wrister from Cale Makar late in the second period.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a stud, and I was telling him in between each TV timeout that he\u2019s the best in the world,\u201d said American forward Brock Faber.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know it. And I just kept telling him, you\u2019re the best in the world. He would just smile and nod and say, \u2018I know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
How relaxed was he? Defenceman Quinn Hughes laughed while recalling Hellebuyck falling asleep on the team bus earlier in the tournament as they headed from the athlete\u2019s village to the rink ahead of a must-win quarterfinal game against Sweden.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018We\u2019re good with this guy.\u2019 He\u2019s very relaxed. Kind of since that moment I was like, \u2018This guy, he\u2019s going to be good,\u2019\u201d said Hughes, who described Hellebuyck \u201can absolute maniac\u201d with his play.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Hellebuyck was sensational throughout the tournament, playing five of six games, facing 137 shots and stopping 131 of them for a staggering .956 save percentage.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe channeled his Jimmy Craig,\u201d said U.S. defenceman Charlie McAvoy \u2014 a nod to the famous American puck-stopper from that incredible 1980 men\u2019s team that was the last to claim Olympic gold.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was unbelievable. He had so many saves. Like the one in the third on Toews, we\u2019re going down the bench saying \u2018That\u2019s the one.\u2019 And then he made a couple more. There were times in this game for sure when we were on our heels. It\u2019s hockey. You need good goaltending and we got it. He\u2019s the best player in the league, and we have him on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n
How\u2019s this for some serendipity: Sunday marked the 46th anniversary of the epic \u201cMiracle On Ice\u201d game at Lake Placid. One of the members of that team \u2014 Jets 1.0 forward Dave Christian \u2014 was at the rink in Italy to watch his nephew, Brock Nelson, make some more hockey history.<\/p>\n
Nelson was fighting back tears as he spoke about the family connection \u2014 while also giving Hellebuyck a shout-out for making it all possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone saw the stick save. He\u2019s an unbelievable goalie,\u201d said Nelson, who came close to becoming a teammate of Hellebuyck\u2019s at the trade deadline last March, only to be shipped from the New York Islanders to the Colorado Avalanche instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had all the confidence in him every game here. He gave us a chance to win, and (Sunday) was a prime example of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hellebuyck\u2019s road to gold wasn\u2019t seamless. He began the NHL season with lingering knee pain, eventually undergoing arthroscopic surgery in November and briefly wondering whether his Olympic hopes were in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, at the time, there were scary moments, never having a big injury,\u201d Hellebuyck said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was some doubt whether it was going to affect my game. But that process played its way out. It was just water on a duck\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hellebuyck will share this gold medal with Jets teammate and fellow Michigan product Kyle Connor, who didn\u2019t play nearly the same role: He was a healthy scratch on Sunday for a fourth straight game, appearing in just the first two outings, who no points and no shots.<\/p>\n
This triumph also carried a dose of ice-cold revenge for Hellebuyck and his teammates.<\/p>\n
One year earlier, he was beaten in overtime at the 4 Nations Face-Off Final by McDavid, with Jordan Binnington in the opposite crease. The same matchup resurfaced Sunday, adding another chapter to a growing duel that already includes last spring\u2019s Jets\u2013St. Louis Blues \u201cManitoba Miracle\u201d playoff epic.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cIt\u2019s cool to have a rivalry like that and battle. We\u2019ve had some special moments competing,\u201d said Binnington.<\/p>\n Hellebuyck arrived in Italy amid questions about whether he\u2019d even be the starter. The Jets\u2019 struggles and a dip in his numbers added fuel to the doubt. Instead, U.S. coach Mike Sullivan looked prescient for riding Hellebuyck over Jeremy Swayman and Jake Oettinger.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Connor was part of the foundation of this group from the get-go,\u201d said Sullivan.<\/p>\n \u201cDating back to the 4 Nations and throughout the course of this tournament. Just a high stakes player in a high stakes environment. I think that\u2019s when players build their legacy. Connor certainly did that (Sunday).\u201d<\/p>\n www.winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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