Heading into the gold medal game, Connor Hellebuyck felt he was doing everything right. And did it ever translate, with his Team USA teammates describing his play as a generational performance.
MILAN, Italy - For Team USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Feb. 22 began and ended as a good day.
Thanks in large part to him, the Americans won gold at the Olympics.
"I came into this game, probably one of the biggest of my career, and I really wasn't that nervous," he said. "The second I woke up in the morning, I felt like I was doing everything right. Every step I took just felt right, and it kinda translated."
Did it ever. Facing down a Canadian squad that featured three of the top four scorers in the NHL, Hellebuyck was an absolute brick wall, giving up just one goal on 42 shots as the U.S. defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime on Jack Hughes' thrilling winner. But the Americans don't even get to overtime if it wasn't for Hellebuyck.
"There are no words," said defenseman Zach Werenski. "That was the greatest performance I've ever seen from a goalie. Our PK at the end did a great job, 'Helly' made huge saves – anytime there was a breakdown for us, he was there. You need that in these moments. It wasn't the prettiest for us, but we found a way to get it done, and Helly was a big reason why."
Let's list off some of the robberies, shall we?
There was the early chance from Macklin Celebrini, who tested Hellebuyck on numerous occasions throughout the game. There was the breakaway stop on Connor McDavid – Connor McDavid – in the second period. There was also an extended 5-on-3 to kill off in the middle frame, where Hellebuyck was aided by an incredible effort by his penalty-killers.
And of course, there was the desperation lunge in the third period, where Hellebuyck got just enough of his paddle to deflect a shot from a wide-open Devon Toews in front of the net, a save that will go down in the annals of hockey history.
"It's not my first stick save in my career, but it was probably the biggest moment to make a stick save," Hellebuyck said. "When I'm rolling back and the puck's not in the net, it's just an overwhelming feeling of 'I got this.' "
That confidence helped propel Team USA.
In the break before overtime, Hellebuyck was even joking with his teammates, asking them whether the extra frame was 5-on-5 or 3-on-3 at the Olympics to keep things loose. It was indeed 3-on-3, and we all know what happened next.
While Hughes rightly got his kudos for the grit and determination that pushed his game to heights previously unseen, Hellebuyck was far from forgotten in the aftermath.
"Oh my gosh, they're going to be talking about this performance for generations," said left winger Matthew Tkachuk. "It was an all-time performance from a superstar at his position. It's going to go down as one of the best performances of all-time, it has to. Right up there with Jim Craig, all the great U.S. goalies, NHL – whatever kind of hockey you want to talk about, it's right up there. Without him, we don't win."
It also represented vindication for Hellebuyck.
While his numbers at the 4 Nations Face-Off were stellar, he was tagged as the second-best goalie in the final to Canada's Jordan Binnington. And even though Hellebuyck would go on to win the Hart and Vezina trophies last season, his NHL campaign was more remembered for his rollercoaster ride in the playoffs with the Winnipeg Jets, where he seemed to get shelled in every road game.
This season has also been a struggle, with Hellebuyck missing time due to an injury and his numbers plunging compared to previous campaigns. The Jets have also gone from the Presidents' Trophy winners last season to a non-factor in this year's playoff race.
But none of that mattered Sunday, because Hellebuyck was on his game, and the Americans rode him to their first gold medal since 1980.
"Those critics can keep writing, but they don't understand goaltending, and they definitely don't understand my game," Hellebuyck said. "I know what I'm putting forward, and I know what I'm building. These are the moments that prove it, not that I need to. These are the moments I enjoy and why I play the game."
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