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It’s been 27 days since the Winnipeg Jets’ season ended.
That was the day of Game 6 against Dallas. Who can forget everything that surrounded that last game, including the heroic appearance of Mark Scheifele, whose father died in the early hours of that Saturday? And now, here we are, in the middle of June, the Stanley Cup final is now a best-of-three, going back to Edmonton. And while there are only two teams remaining in this season, Thursday was a great day for the Jets and Connor Hellebuyck.
That should be Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.
There is little doubt that the announcement of Hellebuyck winning the best goaltender award was a given, but to add the most valuable player award marks Thursday, June 12, as the greatest individual day for any member of the Jets.
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As an aside, the Vezina is voted on by the NHL general managers. The Hart is voted on by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. And in the world’s greatest team sport, individual awards are often very hard to measure. They can be very subjective. But not this year, not with these two trophies. These awards are a tribute to Hellebuyck’s regular-season success, which also included the Jennings Trophy as the best statistical goaltender in the NHL: 47 wins, a 2.00 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and eight shutouts — key stats that helped the Jets to the best regular season in the NHL.
In so many ways, it’s a season that hockey fans in the province should never forget. And numbers that the Jets goaltender will call his most successful career numbers to date. Also add No. 37 being named to the NHL’s first all-star team — along with teammate Kyle Connor, by the way — and Thursday was a banner day for the Jets.
For Hellebuyck, the team and Jets fans everywhere, the Vezina Trophy, the Hart Trophy and the first all-star team are satisfactory consolation prizes for not playing in the Stanley Cup final.
They aren’t the ultimate prize, but they are reminders that this season was not completely a lost cause. There is plenty to be proud of.
