Connor Hellebuyck has played hockey throughout the world, in too many rinks to remember, but it all started here.
The public rink in Waterford Township, Lakeland Arena, where Hellebuyck would trudge with his goaltending equipment bigger than he was as a pre-teen, then fell in love with the game as a teenager and learned about the work ethic and devotion that would be needed to get to where Hellebuyck wanted to go.
On a recent sunny day, Hellebuyck was bringing his son Hugh, age 4, to mini-mite practice. One generation passing to another.
“I’ve never really left this rink,” said Hellebuyck, taking a quick look around, as a steady stream of parents were bringing their kids to skate. “I’ve made a lot of memories. To this day, I still feel like it’s the heart and soul of who I am.”
The Commerce Township native is one of the best American goaltenders ever. A probable Hall of Famer. A goaltender who’ll be remembered for an epic 41-save performance in February’s Milano Cortina Winter Olympics gold medal game that helped Team USA to a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada.
“We’re going to be talking about (that) performance for generations,” Team USA teammate Matthew Tkachuk said of Hellebuyck’s gold-medal victory. “It’s going to go down as one of the best performances of all time. It has to.”
Hellebuyck took an unconventional and unexpected path to the NHL. He wasn’t recruited in high school, and didn’t play the usual travel hockey circuit, playing instead with friends and classmates in Michigan high school hockey at Walled Lake Northern. He played junior hockey in Odessa, Texas — Hellebuyck’s only option at the time — and the next year, in 2012, was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round, 130th overall.
How unlikely was Hellebuyck’s ascent? He wasn’t on NHL Central Scouting’s list of top 36 North American goaltenders eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
The long journey forced Hellebuyck to stay humble and driven. It has also made Hellebuyck appreciate all the special moments, such as the electric ones in Italy.
“I really tried to soak everything in,” Hellebuyck said. “The dorm living, those little moments meant a lot to me because you don’t really know how many chances you’ll get. I wanted to feel everything.”
Andrew Copp, a Red Wings forward and Ann Arbor native, played with Hellebuyck in Winnipeg and enjoyed Hellebuyck’s “delusional confidence” during practices.
“The puck could have gone in (the net), and he thinks there’s a hole in his glove,” Copp said. “He has a confidence and swagger about him that star players have. He’s very talented in reading the play.
“He’s the best goalie in the world.”
And fiercely proud of being from Michigan. Likely will be for a long time, too.
“I’m an outdoorsman, so there’s no better place to be,” Hellebuyck said. “You have all your friends and family close by. It’s home. It’s home, and I’ve built such a strong connection with this area. I’m definitely going to be a proud Michigander for life, wherever I am at.”
Connor Hellebuyck
Age: 33
Occupation: Goaltender, Winnipeg Jets (NHL), Team USA
Family: Wife Andrea, children Hugh and Violet
Education: University of Massachusetts Lowell, marketing
Why honored: For making a meteoric rise from unrecruited goaltender to NHL star and Olympic champion. Awarded best goaltender and Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2026 Winter Olympics; in NHL, Hart Trophy (most valuable player) in 2025, Vezina Trophy (best goaltender) in 2020, 2024, 2025.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Connor Hellebuyck took unlikely path to NHL, Olympic stardom
Reporting by Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
