WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Incidents that were “more than online death threats” cemented Connor Hellebuyck’s decision to ask for a trade from the Winnipeg Jets, he said Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters there for the first time since being dealt to New Jersey on Oct. 23, the goaltender said his family experienced “a few moments that I don’t want to see happen again.” He added he wanted to keep the details of the incidents private.
“There was some moments and some things that happened to my family that, for me, crossed the line and as a husband and a father, I felt made that decision very certain," Hellebuyck said. "I needed to be a good husband and a good father and do what’s best for my family and my career.”
Hellebuyck backstopped the U.S. to men’s hockey gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February. In the aftermath, he attended a White House reception honoring the team, drawing criticism in Canada.
Asked if the fallout played a role in the backlash, Hellebuyck said: "I’m sure it did a little bit. I don’t think it matters if it’s fair or not."
“Those are accomplishments that I will never apologize for, and I will never speak negatively about,” the 33-year-old from Michigan said of his Olympic success. “I know the sensitivity about what’s going on between the U.S. and Canada, and I’ve never gotten into politics deep with anyone because I’m a hockey player.”
Hellebuyck said he still has a “strong emotional connection” to Winnipeg, and he doesn’t want what happened to reflect on the city as a whole.
“I grew up here," he said. “I made a lot of connections here. I don’t want anyone to think I don’t love it here.”
Hellebuyck said he was being honest about wanting to play for the Jets for his entire career when he signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension in October 2023. But he said a lot has changed since then, from his family’s comfort in Winnipeg to the team’s competitiveness.
“To the people who feel that I’ve been disloyal, well, there’s also a lot that I was not expecting to happen go on throughout this contract,” he said.
The Devils said Sunday night that Hellebuyck would not play against his former team on Tuesday night, citing a decline in their expected win probability. Hellebuyck has won all five starts he has made since the trade and said he spoke with coach Sheldon Keefe and general manager Sunny Mehta about the situation.
“I’m 14 days into a new team, and they handle their business differently than I’m used to,” Hellebuyck said. “When I went in there and said my piece and said I felt it was my duty to play this game and said ‘I want to play,’ I had a good conversation with (Keefe and Mehta), and I left that conversation understanding where they’re at.”
See AP’s full NHL coverage here
New Jersey Devils goaltender Connor Hellebuyck makes a save during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans reelected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as leader of the GOP conference after a tense day of discussions about steep losses in the midterm elections that cost them their majority.
Thune was always expected to prevail, as he is popular with his GOP colleagues and was running unopposed in the secret ballot election. But Senate Republicans vented their frustrations in three separate meetings on Tuesday after an election wipeout that cost them at least seven Senate seats.
Some Republicans had tried to delay the leadership decision, but the conference voted to proceed, said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who had pushed to postpone. He walked out of the room as the voting began.
West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice said after the first meeting that “we want to be thoughtful and do the right thing."
Justice said there was a "legitimate argument that, good gracious, if we lost as badly as we lost, why would we continue on with the same leadership?”
At the same time, the current GOP leadership “didn't cause this problem to happen,” Justice said. “They do a good job.”
The angst — and the indecision — comes as frustrated Republicans are just beginning to reckon with what the election results mean for their future. Two additional Senate races remain uncalled in Alaska and Mississippi that could further deplete their numbers.
Several senators had already called on Republican leadership to delay the elections, which include contests for other party leaders as well and are held in the small Old Senate Chamber.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he isn't aware of anyone else running for leader, but “maybe there would be” if they waited.
“I just think that we’ve got a lot of things that we’ve got to think through, and I think that to just rush into this and just ratify all of the same leadership, what message does that send?” Hawley told reporters after walking out.
“If you don’t think after losing seven Senate seats minimum that we need to change course, I don’t know what planet you’re on,” he said.
Thune, who replaced Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as leader in early 2025, said before the meeting that they would have a “very fulsome, robust conversation about where we go from here and then we’ll see what the consensus of the conference is.”
Hawley said the discussion was a “frank” and “honest” open microphone meeting and some senators discussed their own races this year — some who won, and some who lost.
Republicans in the meeting were also pushing Thune to stay in session around the clock in the coming weeks to push through war spending and other party priorities before they lose power.
“We need a plan to get the Republican agenda done,” said Florida Sen. Rick Scott.
Before the meeting, Johnson, the Wisconsin senator, had circulated a letter asking for the delay. He said the conference needs to do some “real soul-searching” but conceded that there's no one else on the ballot.
“That's part of our problem, who would want the job?” he said, turning to a reporter and joking, “Do you want it?”
Oklahoma Sen. Jim Lankford said that there is “widespread support” among Republican senators for Thune, who has made it a point to hear out different viewpoints before he makes major decisions and has maintained close relationships with the rank and file — a different approach from his predecessor, McConnell.
Lankford said he supported having the elections on Tuesday because many of the new GOP senators are already in town for freshman orientation.
“It’s a pretty complicated role to be able to manage,” Lankford said of Thune's leadership post. “No one wants that job.”
Walking into the meeting, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said most senators are ready to move forward. It is time to have “leadership in place,” he said.
Thune has spent much of the last two years navigating President Donald Trump, who has often been at odds with the Senate.
While backing Trump on most policies, Thune has refused to change Senate rules and scrap the filibuster to pass voting legislation that would require proof of citizenship for all voters — a position that frustrated Trump and enraged some in the president's political base.
But Trump hosted Thune and his family at the White House in October. He said Monday that the GOP leader is “a very fine man.” The election is “up to the Senate,” Trump said.
The soul-searching comes as lawmakers are trying to wrap up the year’s work — funding the government and seeing if there are some issues where they can work together, including an energy permitting bill that moved forward on a bipartisan vote Monday evening.
When he gets the chance to speak at the meeting, Thune is expected to emphasize his collaborative approach to his colleagues and point out what they did get done in the last year — including the tax and spending cuts legislation and an attempt at reining in the chaotic annual spending process.
In a Senate floor speech Monday, his first extended remarks since the election, Thune said the midterm election was a “tough night” and previewed his pitch to his colleagues who may be looking for answers on how they will navigate the minority.
Republicans will be willing to work with Democrats, Thune said, but “the American people are not looking for socialist government and leftist fantasies.”
Associated Press reporter Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks to reporters as members of the Republican Conference arrive to elect their leadership following the sweeping victory by Democrats in the midterm elections, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and members of the Republican Conference arrive to elect their leadership following the sweeping victory by Democrats in the midterm elections, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and members of the Republican Conference arrive to elect their leadership following the sweeping victory by Democrats in the midterm elections, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The Supreme Court is seen through a car window that is reflecting the U.S. Capitol dome, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, poses for a photograph in his office with Sen.-elects Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., Josh Turek, D-Iowa, Roy Cooper, D-N.C., Juliana Stratton, D-Ill., and Chris Pappas, D-N.H., Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., heads to an intelligence briefing in a secure room in the basement of the Capitol with the director of national intelligence and other congressional leaders, as Congress returns to work following the midterm elections, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
