Trade Request? He did? But why?
Devils fans and fans of other NHL teams may be dazed and confused as to why Winnipeggers and diehard hockey fans are so furious with Connor Hellebuyck.
This is why: They have a right to be furious as they understand hockey culture.
The Truth
Winnipeg is one of the best sports cities in the world, with passionate, knowledgeable fans who are also known for being among the loudest in professional sports.
It’s a city known for a lot more than being home to the greatest playoff tradition in hockey: The Whiteout.
Winnipeg is a sports town where both Blue Bombers and Jets alumni regularly speak fondly of their time in Winnipeg, and many are always eager to return. That says a lot about the connections they’ve made, the experiences they’ve had, and the lasting impression the city has left on them.
It’s a city that gets knocked down by people who have never visited, lived in, or truly experienced it. NHL and CFL athletes call it one of the best road trips of the season. Celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Woody Harrelson, and Jon Hamm have also spoken highly of Winnipeg, from its restaurants to the architecture of the historic Exchange District, to the beautiful weather, and to how friendly everyone is.
You may have moved to Winnipeg and disliked it but you never really experienced it like a true Winnipeger.
It’s a city just a short drive from world-class cottages, lakes, and beaches. It’s a summer paradise. A beautiful city with strong Indigenous, French, and European roots, situated in the heart of Canada. Yet, at times, it remains one of the nation’s forgotten gems.
As comedic actor Bill Murray once suggested about his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina: keep knocking it, tell people not to move there, and insist it’s not a great city. That way, it won’t get overrun by newcomers who might actually ruin it.
The province of Manitoba is known for many things, but don’t let the licence plates fool you. Manitoba is a lot more than just “Friendly Manitoba.”
So forgive Winnipeg residents and Jets fans for taking it personally when they hear something negative about their city and the hockey team they proudly call their own.
So here are the ‘True Lies’ surrounding Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets fans.
This situation is different from other impact players asking to be traded. Sure, there have been Jets players who didn’t appreciate the community or the organization and believed the grass would be greener on the other side. But many who have moved on have since proven that the grass in Winnipeg was just as green.
You never truly know the real reason an athlete asks for a trade unless they make it clear that they’re unhappy with the direction of the organization.
To many Winnipeggers, the Hellebuyck situation feels like he quit on a city that treated him like royalty, welcomed him as a member of the community, and treated his family with nothing but kindness and respect.
He signed a seven-year deal in October 2023. He was supposed to be the Jets’ goalie for life. But now, after a season in which he won the Vezina Trophy and MVP honors while backstopping a Presidents’ Trophy-winning team, he suddenly wanted to move on from the team and city that had always stood behind him through the ups and downs.
Not one bit of this made any logical sense to hockey fans anywhere in the world.
A decade-long relationship was torn to shreds quicker than a Hellebuyck glove save, and it all began last November, when Connor decided to take some time off for surgery, clearly with the Olympics in mind. The Jets then went on a losing streak that ultimately cost the team a playoff spot.
Winnipeggers didn’t attack him once.
Then, an intense international border rivalry began to escalate, and we weren’t even talking about hockey.
Trade wars. Sovereignty threats. Economic threats. Day after day, the American president was making statements that challenged Canada’s way of life and its place in the world.
Was President Trump serious? Was he trolling? Who knows? But his words and actions struck a nerve with Canadians, leaving many feeling as though their country was under attack.
When you have one of the best athletes in your city, alongside local stars such as Blue Bombers Brady Oliveira (Canadian), Blue Bombers Zach Collaros (American), and Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele (Canadian), and that athlete happens to be American—in this case, Connor Hellebuyck—Winnipeggers aren’t asking him to choose which country he pledges allegiance to. But perhaps they should expect him to stand up for his hockey home and show that Winnipeg, Manitoba, is also a place he loves and will defend just as fiercely as he would defend a hockey net.
Neither of these things happened in real life.
What did happen was a series of carefully worded, almost cryptic statements, such as, “I like Winnipeg. I loved my time in Winnipeg. There are things that happened to my family and me that we wish not to get into.” Those comments only fueled speculation and rumors, while Connor refused to elaborate further.
Connor Hellebuyck then entered the Olympics as Team USA’s starting goaltender and played at an elite level, eventually defeating Canada in overtime.
Winnipeggers, deep down, rooted for #35 with a sense of pride. When he returned, he was greeted with a roaring standing ovation.
That U.S. victory didn’t change Canadian hockey. Canadians know the program will bounce back, and Team USA will have to answer for it at the next competition.
Canadians weren’t furious like they were after the losses in 1996 and 1998. There was no demand for a public inquiry into the state of Canadian hockey. The program has been winning too often in recent years for the country to feel as though it was on the brink of a hockey meltdown.
But it did change Connor Hellebuyck and his family. And everyone around him saw it.
Following the Gold Medal Game, Connor’s wife’s social media accounts were filled with congratulatory posts, with no serious threats apparent. Other USA players’ accounts, including those belonging to immediate family members, were very similar. At that point, nothing appeared to be wrong.
By the end of that Sunday, however, disparaging messages began appearing, predominantly from American women, targeting NHL players and their families over their laughter during a phone call with Donald Trump, who was extending an invitation to the U.S. women’s hockey team. These messages were clearly visible on the social media accounts of Connor Hellebuyck and his wife.
By the end of Monday, February 23, all of Hellebuyck’s wife’s social media accounts had gone silent and been switched to private, with the exception of links to the goalie’s children’s book.
Now, while her account settings had been changed, we do not know where these supposed threats originated. However, I encourage you to try leaving a threatening message on almost any social media account. Platforms have restrictions in place, and you may not be able to do so unless you are using coded or abbreviated language, which is not necessarily the same as what was supposedly directed at Connor Hellebuyck’s family.
Were these threats from someone the Hellebuyck family knew? Again, these were questions that needed answers. When the threats were brought to the attention of the Winnipeg Jets organization, no evidence was provided.
On Tuesday, February 24, social media across the board began turning against U.S. Hockey players, particularly Connor Hellebuyck, following the announcement that he would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and had been invited to attend the President’s State of the Union address.
This is when the social media attacks appeared to intensify. Across almost every U.S. player’s social media account, there was a significant amount of direct hostility. From the available evidence, some of that hostility appeared to come from other Americans, most likely stemming from the women’s team controversy, which clearly been blown out of proportion and exaggerated. Other hateful comments appeared to target Hellebuyck over his support for Trump. Then there were the direct attacks from Canadians telling USA players they were not wanted in Canada.
Were these messages coming from actual Jets fans? The majority, if not all, of the profiles investigated were private accounts with little to no activity. However, we can confirm that active accounts from Winnipeg and other parts of Manitoba posted hateful messages, although nothing illegal. Many of these accounts appeared to be affiliated with various protest groups, with provoking others seemingly their only purpose.
Another note to remember that most Jets fans simply wanted Hellebuyck to return to the NHL club as soon as possible. When they found out he would miss a game or two, some became irate and, in the heat of the moment, may have taken their frustration to social media.
However, to suggest that Winnipeggers were the only ones on record sending hateful messages would be false.
Connor Hellebuyck’s wife was still absent from social media at this point. However, the links and reviews for Connor’s children’s book remained accessible. They were eventually removed sometime afterward, with derogatory comments having been left as reviews.
Were these the threats the family received?
Now, I cannot speak to when someone’s personal feelings change, but that moment would be a trigger for anyone, especially someone trying to understand why people would leave hateful comments about a children’s book written by a family member. But to turn that into an “I think it’s time for a change, and I want to ask for a trade” situation seems entirely unnecessary.
In turn, Connor Hellebuyck was no different from other members of U.S. Hockey who took heat during this period. That included a Winnipeg Jets teammate who has never been shy about disclosing the hate he received. As Kyle Connor has shown, the comments came from people on both sides of the border.
Connor Hellebuyck, as a professional athlete, should understand that even the average fan can be more disturbed than the diehard fan. But he damn well knew how Winnipeggers treated his family for a decade, including the warm welcome his father received every time he visited the city. There was never a broken relationship between the Hellebuyck family and the people of Manitoba.
Following the 2026 season, Connor Hellebuyck was reportedly unhappy with the direction Kevin Cheveldayoff was taking the current roster. Jets fans know Hellebuyck wants to win a Stanley Cup, and after last season, he may not believe that opportunity is there in Winnipeg.
Asking for a trade is not the issue for Winnipeg Jets fans. If Connor Hellebuyck had gone public he was upset with management or coaching? Jets fans would understand.
Maybe Olympic pride took over, and he wants to be constantly reminded of his Gold Medal achievement by playing in a U.S. hockey market. Odd? Sure. But still Winnipeg would understand.
But be upfront. You can’t move on while still wanting to call Winnipeg part of your life when you’ve allowed that relationship to dissolve through carefully worded messages to the media that made Winnipeg, Manitoba and Jets fans look bad.
One of the most popular players in Winnipeg Jets history requested and received a trade to Buffalo in 1990 and was always welcomed back. There is currently a statue of ‘Ducky’ outside the arena.
Winnipeg Jets fans simply don’t want anyone disrespecting their fanbase or the hockey team that proudly represents their city and community.
And that is why Winnipeg is furious!