Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck wins rare Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy combination
Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets won the Hart Trophy (league MVP) and Vezina Trophy (top goalie) in the same season for only the sixth time in NHL history, as announced on the league's awards show on Thursday night.
Hellebuyck joined Jacques Plante (1962), Dominik Hasek (1997 and 1998), Jose Theodore (2002) and Carey Price (2015) in that Hart-Vezina club.
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Hellebuyck also became the eighth goalie to win the Hart Trophy, but because Vezina Trophy voting did not begin until 1981 and different criteria were used, Hart-winning goalies Roy Worters (1929), Chuck Raynor (1950) and Al Rollins (1954) did not win the Vezina in those seasons.
Also, with his third Vezina win in the last six seasons, Hellebuyck put himself in an elite class, joining Patrick Roy, Hasek and Martin Brodeur as the only goalies to win the award more than twice since 1981.
The other finalists for the Hart Trophy were Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The other Vezina Trophy finalists were Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Hellebuyck had one of the most impressive regular seasons by a goalie in recent history. The Commerce, Mich., native was the anchor behind Winnipeg's 116-point season, which earned the Jets the Presidents' Trophy.
He led the NHL with 47 wins — nine more than the next-closest goalie — eight shutouts and 2.00 goals against average. His .925 save percentage was second to Anthony Stolarz's .926, and Hellebuyck's stats were even more impressive considering his heavy workload of 63 games.
Hellebuyck saved 49.48 goals above expected according to Evolving-Hockey, which lapped the rest of the field and was the third-most by any goalie since 2007. As he's been most of his career, he was consistent, with a save percentage of .900 or better in 71 percent of his starts (also the highest in the NHL).
Along with the Vezina, Hellebuyck also won his second consecutive William M. Jennings Trophy this season as the primary goalie on the team that allowed the fewest goals in the NHL. Because a goalie must start at least 25 games to win the award, and Winnipeg backup Eric Comrie didn't hit that threshold, Hellebuyck was the sole recipient. He is the first goalie in NHL history to win the Jennings solo in back-to-back seasons. He's also now the only active goalie with three Vezina Trophies, and ties Hockey Hall of Famers Roy, Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall and George Hainsworth for the ninth-most all-time.
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Only 32, Hellebuyck is already scaling the all-time leaderboards. His 322 regular-season wins are the fifth-most ever by a U.S.-born goalie. His 45 career shutouts are second by an American, behind only Jonathan Quick (63).
Unfortunately for Hellebuyck and the Jets, his sensational regular season was followed up by yet another disappointingly short playoff run. Hellebuyck posted a sub-.900 save percentage for the third consecutive postseason, and Winnipeg lost in the second round against Dallas. All three Vezina finalists struggled in the playoffs, with Kuemper and Vasilevskiy both exiting in the first round.
Hellebuyck just finished the first season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension that he signed in 2023.
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