Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made his return to Canada Life Centre for the first time with the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, and though he was not in the lineup, Jets fans let him know their feelings.
As Hellebuyck took the ice with his Devils teammates, the Winnipeg faithful launched a booming ‘Coward’ chant at Hellebuyck, with one fan throwing a sweater on the ice.
Jake Allen was announced as the starter in net for the Devils on Sunday, drawing the ire of fans, media members and Hellebuyck’s former Jets teammates.
“This has been an organizational decision for us that we’ve debated at length,” Devils general manager Sunny Mehta said in a statement. “Connor Hellebuyck was adamant that he felt a duty to play on Tuesday in Winnipeg.
“However, in our estimation, playing in this game would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability.”
Hellebuyck defended the decision when speaking to reporters on Tuesday, telling reporters that he is “14 days into a new team, and they handle their business differently than I’m used to.
“When I went in there and said my piece and said I felt it was my duty to play this game and said ‘I want to play,’ I had a good conversation with the (coach Sheldon Keefe) and (general manager Sunny Mehta), and I left that conversation understanding where they’re at.”
The star netminder reiterated that multiple factors led to his trade request, but said there were incidents involving his family that “crossed the line as a husband and a father.” He noted the incidents were “more than online death threats” but asked that media members respect his privacy and ask no further questions on the subject.
Hellebuyck won three Vezina Trophies over his 11 seasons with the Jets, but angered fans over the off-season when he demanded a trade and subsequently held out at the beginning of the season.
The situation came to an end when the Devils acquired Hellebuyck on Oct. 23 in exchange for two draft picks and a collection of players including Nico Daws, who started Tuesday’s game in net for the Jets, and forward Dawson Mercer.