Superstar Jets goalie Hellebuyck casts wide net, winning Hart, Vezina trophies
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Connor Hellebuyck didn’t come back with any fish, but still landed two major NHL awards.
The Winnipeg Jets goaltender, with 47 regular season wins, won the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player and the Vezina as the NHL’s top goaltender Thursday night in a new-age awards show.
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Superstar Jets goalie Hellebuyck casts wide net, winning Hart, Vezina trophies Back to video
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Hellebuyck was surprised by his parents, children and extended family when he docked his pleasure craft after a solo fishing trip at the family’s Michigan cottage while cameras rolled. While they all posed with the Vezina, his Jets backup Eric Comrie suddenly appeared, asking where the “other” trophy was. Hockey Hall of Fame officials then brought out the Hart.
Hellebuyck had 81 first-place votes to runner-up Leon Draisaitl’s 53, as tabulated by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, though he surely would’ve swapped places with the Edmonton Oilers centre starring in the Stanley Cup final. His victories represented just under 84% of the Jets’ 56 wins, though after the voting he had road game hiccups in Winnipeg’s two playoff series.
Winger Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, winner of the Ted Lindsay Award as the MVP voted on by players, edged Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for third place.
“I saw someone in my yard and was confused,” Hellebuyck said with a laugh. “That moment (when the Hart appeared) was like putting a cherry on top. I had no idea what the Hart looked like.
“I’ll probably picture this day as one of the greatest in my career. This is awesome, I can give everyone a hug.”
He becomes the fifth goalie to win the Hart and Vezina in the same year and the fourth to do it for a Canadian team. Carey Price, Jose Theodore and Jacques Plante had the double for Montreal through the decades — Price the last one to do it in 2015 — while Dominik Hasek won both with Buffalo in 1997 and 1998.
The league moved away from a formal awards gala into a gradual release of the winners via surprise videos involving teammates, family and friends presenting the trophies.
Bolts general manager Julien BriseBois called Kucherov into his office at the practice rink for a staged meeting while the players drove to the practice rink and gathered outside with his Lindsay prize.
Rookie of the year Lane Hutson of the Canadiens was pranked at a restaurant after the defenceman was told there was going to be a party for his Calder Trophy nomination. A Hall of Fame rep hid in the washroom with the silverware.
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Florida centre Aleksander Barkov was given the Frank J. Selke Trophy as top defensive forward and the King Clancy community service award by patients at a children’s hospital he supports. Cale Makar of the Avalanche got the Norris Trophy as top defenceman and Anze Kopitar the Lady Byng for clean play and high production on respective golf courses. Washington’s Spencer Carbery received the Jack Adams as coach of the year at the end of a supposed TV interview in D.C. with his parents flown in and waiting in the wings.
Meredith Gaudreau came to Sean Monahan’s front door in suburban Toronto with the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The Columbus forward helped alleviate her grief and that of many Blue Jackets players and fans after good friend Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew were killed last summer on their bikes by an alleged drunk driver.
The league’s general managers vote on the Vezina, broadcasters on the Adams, while all other awards are chosen by the PHWA.
The league’s all-star teams, also picked by the PHWA, were released Thursday. MacKinnon outpointed Draisaitl for first-team centre, though the Oiler had more first- place votes. Handily winning at left and right wings were Kyle Connor of the Jets and Kucherov, ahead of Tampa’s Brandon Hagel and Boston’s David Pastrnak.
Makar and Zach Werenski of Columbus were first and second in votes for first-team defence with Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Tampa’s Victor Hedman on the second with Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
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