Nov 10 (Reuters) – Connor Hellebuyck, who led Team USA to an Olympic gold medal against Canada in February, said on Tuesday that incidents involving his family, which he described as “more than online death threats”, pushed him to request a trade from the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.
Hellebuyck, returning to Winnipeg for the first time since he was traded to the New Jersey Devils nearly three weeks ago, said some of what happened to his family crossed a line and that he felt, as a husband and a father, a change of scenery was necessary.
“It was more than online death threats,” Hellebuyck said without disclosing the exact nature of the threats. “And I’m going to please ask you to respect my privacy and my family’s privacy. I won’t go deeper than that, but there is more that made me and my family uncomfortable.”
After winning Olympic gold, Hellebuyck and a number of his US teammates attended a White House reception hosted by President Donald Trump, who announced that the goalie would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Hellebuyck, who holds the Jets franchise record for most wins (345) and shutouts (45), faced a backlash in Canada for the White House visit and said in March that while he could handle the criticism he was upset his wife had borne the brunt of it.
In August, Hellebuyck publicly confirmed that he wanted to leave Winnipeg, saying at the time that he had requested a move “several months ago”. Hellebuyck sat out training camp and missed the opening weeks of the 2026-27 NHL season before being traded to the Devils.
When asked if winning the Olympic gold medal ultimately played a role in his trade request, the three-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie said there were challenges in being an American playing north of the border.
“I’d be lying to you if I said that my life hasn’t changed since the Olympics, because it has in a very big way,” said Hellebuyck. “Is there some difficulties with being American playing in Canada? Definitely. But there’s also a lot of positives,” he added, referring to Canadians’ passion for ice hockey.
The Devils previously announced that Hellebuyck, who is 5-0 since joining New Jersey, would not start in goal against his former team later on Tuesday. Hellebuyck said he wanted the start and expressed his desire to do so in conversations with Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe and general manager Sunny Mehta.
“I went in there and I said my piece, and I said I felt it was my duty to play this game,” said Hellebuyck. “I had a good conversation with the coach and Sunny. And, you know, I left that conversation understanding where they’re at and why they’re making their decision. And I respect it.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Toby Davis)
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