New Jersey Devils goaltender Connor Hellebuyck isn’t going anywhere. And he most certainly isn’t hiding.
Hellebuyck faced the media on Tuesday in his return to Winnipeg. And while he didn’t hit the ice in the game, he wasn’t about to shy away from setting the record straight.
And that he did.
Hellebuyck spoke to the media, making it clear why he asked out of Winnipeg when he did. His carefully rehearsed remarks were designed to offer insights into what motivated his decision. Unfortunately for the Winnipeg media, he didn’t provide the receipts they would have wanted from him.
“I needed to be a good husband and good father, and do what’s best for my family and my career.”
Hellebuyck’s reasoning certainly touches everyone on a deep level. Anyone who feels that their family’s well-being is somehow in danger. Well, that’s not the sort of thing anyone has to put up with.
The three-time Vezina winner further expanded on the matter.
“There was 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.”
While he didn’t get into the specifics of the incidents in question, Hellebuyck did make it clear that these unsavory moments went beyond online death threats. Additionally, Connor Hellebuyck didn’t quite get into the specifics of what events crossed the line. Whatever these events were, they were serious enough to warrant a trade request out of Winnipeg for the Devils’ netminder and the departure of the Hellebuyck family.
Hellebuyck made clear that his relationship to Winnipeg remains important, but also doubled down on the fact that certain things that happened were unacceptable in his estimation.
“I’ve loved my time here, but there are a few moments that I don’t want to see happen again. And it’s more than just online death threats and I please going to ask you to respect my privacy and my family’s privacy. I won’t go deeper than that.”
“I needed to be a good husband and good father, and do what’s best for my family and my career.”
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 10, 2026
Connor Hellebuyck explained that some things his family experienced while in Winnipeg "crossed the line" and made his decision to request a trade "very certain".
When asked about… pic.twitter.com/i8v5gBxMP5
By the sound of things, perhaps next season, when the Devils make their annual visit to Winnipeg, might be the best time for the Hellebuyck to actually hit the ice.
Devils were right to carefully stage Connor Hellebuyck media op
After listening to what Connor Hellebuyck had to say, two things became crystal clear.
First, the Winnipeg Jets were right to avoid Hellebuyck speaking to the media at the end of his suspension. Had the situation gotten to that point, the Jets would have had no control over how much their former goalie would have revealed about the situation.
Plus, Hellebuyck could have easily thrown the Jets under the bus, conflating the entire situation. Needless to say, the black eye moment for the Jets would have been much greater.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the Devils were right to carefully choreograph their Hellebuyck presser. In light of the 33-year-old’s comments, New Jersey did the right thing by shielding him. If there were, in fact, credible threats to Hellebuyck, there was no reason for the organization to expose their star goalie to anything that could have become a lamentable incident.
Of course, I’m not questioning Hellebuyck’s remarks in any way. But if we took them at face value alone, the organization risked seriously exposing Hellebuyck just by bringing him into town.
The Devils did the right thing. Even if Winnipeg fans and the local media didn’t take too kindly to Hellebuyck not playing in Tuesday night’s game, the bottom line is that New Jersey did the right thing by prioritizing Hellebuyck’s overall well-being.
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