When he’s not stopping pucks, he’s ripping lips.
Team USA men’s hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck cemented his status as a legend in American sports history on Sunday when he played an absolutely incredible game against Team Canada to help the Americans bring home the gold medal for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Hellebuyck, who is (ironically) the goalie for the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL, allowed Canada to score only one goal in 42 shots on net, including fending off a 5-on-3 in the second period after Team USA had two players sent to the penalty box in quick succession.
There was also this mindblowing save from Hellebuyck on what looked to be a wide open shot for Canada:
I’ll admit that as a Nashville Predators fan, I’ve been in Bridgestone Arena when they were playing the Jets and gotten pretty frustrated at Hellebuyck stopping my Preds, but man, it sure is nice to have him on the team you’re cheering for.
Hellebuyck has gotten plenty of well-deserved attention after his legendary game, including from President Trump when he spoke with the team in the locker room after the game:
“By the way, your goalie played not bad. I have seen hockey goalies have slightly worse games than him. It was unbelievable, and you were all unbelievable. …
I’m gonna shake hands with everybody, but I gotta shake hands with that goalie.”
But to even further add to his lore, fans were also curious about the largemouth bass painted on the side of Hellebuyck’s goalie mask.
Jets fans are no doubt familiar with the sight of the fish on Hellebuyck’s mask, and it all stems from a pretty simple place: His love of fishing.
Hellebuyck is originally from Commerce Township, Michigan, and has been fishing since he was young:
“My grandpa would take us up north, and when I say up north, I mean anywhere middle of Michigan and north of that. We’d sit on a boat, and we’d drop down worms. That was my introduction to fishing. There are so many lakes around here, and we had lake access that we’d go down to the docks and just walk the docks throwing out lines and catching bass, and I think that’s where my bass fishing began.”
And once he arrived in Winnipeg, he credits his former teammate Dustin Byfuglien for getting him into ice fishing:
“He didn’t realize how into fishing I was at the time, so it was more of hearing his stories, and finally I had told him I want to go. … We caught big walleye on the lake, out on Lake Winnipeg, and from that moment on I was hooked.”
Field & Stream shared some behind-the-scenes info about the goalie mask that Hellebuyck wore during the Winter Olympics, which was hand-painted and designed by Steve Nash of EyeCandyAir. The mask features not only the largemouth bass but also a bald eagle on the other side and a tribute to his home state of Michigan on the back:
It’s so beautiful.
Of course after his win, Hellebuyck has had plenty of fishing brands eager to partner with him. Natural Waterscapes offered to build Hellebuyck his own bass fishery:
And SITKA Gear offered to get Hellebuyck outfitted with some new fishing gear and even set him up on a fishing trip with two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Brandon Palaniuk.
Of course Hellebuyck probably isn’t going to have a ton of time for fishing right now: After attending the State of the Union address with the rest of Team USA tonight, he’ll be rejoining the Winnipeg Jets as they continue their Stanley Trophy hunt.
But once the offseason hits and he gets some time to relax, I have a feeling we’ll know where to find him: Out on the lake ripping lips.
