Connor Hellebuyck Becomes The First Goalie In A Decade To Win The Hart Trophy, Solidifying That It Is 100% A Regular Season Award
Jonathan Kozub. Getty Images.Well now this is just a little awkward.
Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets were just eliminated in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 13 postseason games, Hellebuyck clocked in at a 3.08 GAA and a .866 sv%. Those numbers are….pedestrian at best. Out of the 18 goalies who have played in these playoffs, he had the 2nd worst save percentage and the 14th best GAA. So if there was ever even a shred of doubt that playoff performance has anything to do with awarding the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP, those questions were immediately answered tonight.
Because let's not forget the 63 regular season games that Connor Hellebuyck played this season. He was tied for the most amount of games played by a goalie this year with Andrei Vasilevskiy. In those 63 games, he had a 2.00 GAA and a .925 sv%. Both were the best in the league among actual starters. 8 shutouts, 1581 saves on 1716 shots against. Connor Hellebuyck was a goddamn animal all season long, and the main reason why the Winnipeg Jets were the top team in the Western Conference.
Only 8 goalies have ever won the Hart Trophy. 3 of those guys are goalies nobody has ever heard of before. You can't tell me that guys like Roy Worters, Chuck Rayner, and Al Rollins actually existed. After that you have Jacques Plante, Dominik Hasek, Jose Theodore and Carey Price. Obviously Jose Theodore is a bit of an outlier there, but Plante, Hasek, and Carey Price are all legends. You think about all the great goaltenders throughout the history of the league. Guys like Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy never won the Hart Trophy.
Connor Hellebuyck is also the first American goalie to ever win the Hart Trophy. I'd also imagine he's the only American goalie to win the Vezina 3x now as the best goaltender in the league.
He's definitely cementing his legacy as the best American goalie ever. It's just a shame he gets run into the ground during the regular season and never has any gas left in the tank once the playoffs roll around. Who cares, though. As long as Hellebuyck can find a way to lead Team USA to a gold medal at the Olympics next year, the Cup is irrelevant. Best American Goalie Ever.