Hellebuyck wins second consecutive William M. Jennings Trophy
Published
Connor Hellebuyck joined rare company on Wednesday, becoming the fifth goaltender to earn the William M. Jennings Trophy in consecutive seasons in NHL history.
The trophy, awarded annually since 1981-82, is given “to the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team(s) with the fewest goals scored against it during the regular season.”
Winnipeg finished this campaign with 191 goals allowed, 10 fewer than the next closest team entering Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings.
Hellebuyck is a Hart Trophy favourite per FanDuel and a lock to take home his third Vezina Trophy over the last six seasons.
The 31-year-old netminder has a league-leading goals-against average of 2.00 and a save percentage of .925. He played the most games of any goaltender this season (63) and produced the most shutouts (8).
Hellebuyck finished with 47 wins, one short of the single-season NHL record held by Martin Brodeur (2006-07) and Braden Holtby (2015-16).
Jets backup Eric Comrie appeared in 20 games this season, posting a 9-10-1 record with a .914 save percentage and a 2.39 GAA.
The other goaltenders to earn the William M. Jennings Trophy in consecutive seasons are Brodeur (1996-97 to 1997-98 & 2002-03 to 2003-04), Roman Turek (1998-99 to 1999-00), Patrick Roy (1986-87 to 1988-89) and Brian Hayward (1986-87 to 1988-89).
Hellebuyck, however, became the first to repeat as the lone recipient in each campaign.
Hellebuyck and the Jets open their Stanley Cup Playoffs against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday as the top seed in the Western Conference. After taking home the Presidents' Trophy as the top team in the NHL, they'll enjoy home ice in every round of the playoffs, including the Stanley Cup Final, should they advance as far.