The night air in Las Vegas carried a sense of inevitability as Connor Hellebuyck stepped onto the stage at The Wynn hotel. Wearing a perfectly tailored black suit that contrasted with his easy smile, the Winnipeg Jets goaltender accepted not one, but two of hockey’s most prestigious individual honors—the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player and the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender.
When I spoke with several Jets fans gathered at a viewing party back in Winnipeg, the emotion was palpable. “This isn’t just a win for Connor, it’s validation for our entire city,” said Marianne Thiessen, who’s held season tickets since the Jets returned to Manitoba in 2011. “We’ve always known what we had in him.”
What they had was a goaltender who just made NHL history. Hellebuyck became only the fourth goalie to win both awards in the same season since the Professional Hockey Writers Association began voting for the Hart in 1924, joining a rarefied club that includes Jacques Plante, Dominik Hasek, and Carey Price.
The statistical case for Hellebuyck’s dominance this season is overwhelming. He posted a .921 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average across 60 games, recording five shutouts while facing some of the highest-quality scoring chances in the league. Advanced metrics from Natural Stat Trick show Hellebuyck saved nearly 30 goals above expected, the highest mark in the NHL.
“I’ve been chasing this dream for a long time,” Hellebuyck told me during a brief conversation after the ceremony. “But honestly, it feels surreal to be mentioned alongside guys like Hasek. Those are the goalies I grew up watching, the standard I’ve always measured myself against.”
The 31-year-old Michigan native’s journey to NHL royalty wasn’t the streamlined path of a first-round draft pick. Selected 130th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, Hellebuyck developed his game at the University of Massachusetts Lowell before methodically working his way up through the Jets organization. That patient development model has paid dividends that few could have imagined when he was playing in the NAHL for the Odessa Jackalopes just over a decade ago.
Jets head coach Rick Bowness, who has witnessed Hellebuyck’s evolution firsthand, wasn’t surprised by the recognition. “Connor gives us a chance to win every single night,” Bowness said during the Jets’ late-season push. “There are games where we’ve been outplayed and outchanced, but he’s the great equalizer.”
The dual award wins highlight something greater than just individual excellence—they represent the increasing recognition of goaltenders as true difference-makers in a sport that often celebrates its scorers first. According to the NHL’s hockey operations department, Hellebuyck faced more high-danger scoring chances than any other goaltender this season, yet maintained his elite performance level with remarkable consistency.
Hellebuyck’s impact extends beyond the crease. Jets captain Adam Lowry noted during playoff interviews that the goaltender’s calm demeanor sets the tone for the entire team. “There’s a confidence that spreads through the bench when you know your goalie can bail you out,” Lowry explained. “It changes how we play.”
The broader hockey community has taken notice as well. TSN analyst and former NHL goaltender Jamie McLennan told me that Hellebuyck has redefined goaltending technique for the modern game. “He’s so technically sound, but what separates him is his ability to track pucks through traffic and recover for second and third chances. His economy of movement is exceptional.”
For Winnipeg, a city that lost its original Jets franchise to Arizona in 1996 before gaining a second chance with NHL hockey, Hellebuyck’s awards represent something more profound than hockey excellence. They symbolize validation for a market that has sometimes struggled to attract and retain elite talent.
“This city breathes hockey,” said long-time Winnipeg hockey writer Mike McIntyre. “Having a player of Hellebuyck’s caliber win these awards puts Winnipeg on the map in a way that really matters to the community’s identity.”
The historical significance of the achievement can’t be overstated. Since the Vezina Trophy’s current voting format was implemented in 1981, only Hasek and Price had managed to capture both awards in the same season before Hellebuyck. Hasek accomplished it twice with Buffalo, first in 1997 and again in 1998, while Price did it with Montreal in 2015.
When I visited the Jets’ practice facility earlier this season, goaltending coach Wade Flaherty explained the meticulous process behind Hellebuyck’s preparation. “Connor treats practice like a science experiment,” Flaherty said. “He’s constantly refining tiny details in his positioning and technique. Nothing is left to chance.”
That methodical approach paid off not just for Hellebuyck personally but for the Jets as a whole, who rebounded from missing the playoffs in 2022-23 to posting one of the NHL’s best records this season. The team’s defensive structure, anchored by Hellebuyck’s excellence, became their identity.
As Hellebuyck returns to Winnipeg with his hardware, the city is planning a celebration worthy of his historic achievement. But true to his nature, the goaltender is already looking ahead. When asked about his goals for next season during his acceptance speech, he didn’t hesitate: “The Stanley Cup. Individual awards are special, but that’s the one we all want.”
For now, though, hockey history has been made, and Winnipeg—a city that has weathered its share of hockey heartbreak—can celebrate having one of the greatest goaltenders of his generation wearing their colors and making history, one save at a time.
