Hellebuyck’s Return Raises a Difficult Question for Jets Fans

Honestly, while I get that Winnipeg Jets fans are disappointed Connor Hellebuyck decided to leave, I don’t understand the depth of the anger directed at him. It almost vindicates his decision. He was met with boos and calls of cowardice last night. However, even given the disappointment, it’s hard for me to fully understand where their anger is coming from.

The truth is that, if I were in his spot, given the online death threats, I would have acted the same way. In fact, even if I wanted to stay in the city where I had spent more than a decade building relationships with teammates who had become friends, I would have sacrificed my own desires for my family’s well-being.

In fact, what I didn’t hear in all of this was any anger directed toward those who threatened his family. I expected more from Canadian fans.

Looking at Hellebuyck’s Career in Winnipeg

Again, I get the disappointment and the feeling of rejection. But I don’t understand fans’ lack oflack of consideration for how these experiences might have affected his decision as a husband and father. The truth is that Hellebuyck spent 11 of his 12 NHL seasons in Winnipeg. He gave fans some really good hockey, winning three Vezina Trophies and becoming one of the franchise’s defining players.

True, he returned as a member of the New Jersey Devils, and that couldn’t have been fun. He said that threats against his family, along with other incidents that made them uncomfortable and uncertainty about his career, helped convince him that it was time to leave. In all this, how could Jets fans forget about the relationship between Hellebuyck and Winnipeg?

It makes me ask a more uncomfortable question. In all this, who deserves the anger?

When Disappointment Turns Into Something Else

Fans can be disappointed. They can criticize his decision, question his timing, and even be unhappy with his playoff performances. But threatening a player’s family crosses a different line. And when a player decides that his family’s safety matters more than staying with a team, why does he become the coward?

It makes me wonder whether there is a natural division between players and their fans based on how much money professional hockey players make. Does that make them different as humans? Does Hellebuyck’s wealth and fame make some fans less sympathetic to him? And when you think about it, how many of those fans who yelled “coward” would have done the same? Wouldn’t they be thoughtless if they did not?

Not Every Jets Fan Was Part of This

We shouldn’t paint an entire fanbase with the same brush. We don’t know who made the threats, and a few people’s actions shouldn’t define everyone who supports the Jets. But the reaction in the arena raises a question about where disappointment ends, and misplaced anger begins.

I wouldn’t presume to tell fans what they should think. But I don’t understand how some fans can be so angry about losing a great goaltender that they overlook his right to protect his family.

Related: Jets Troll Devils and Hellebuyck With Hilarious Post After 4-2 Win