‘Unbelievable experience’ in best-on-best battle for Jets stars

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This article was published 23/02/2025 (254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

End result and circumstances surrounding the championship final notwithstanding, there was one thing above all else that Josh Morrissey and Connor Hellebuyck could agree on after sharing their respective experiences from the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Two of the Winnipeg Jets star players can’t wait to do it all over again — and on an even grander stage — at the 2026 Olympics in Italy.

But before that, both players can’t wait to apply some of the lessons they’ve learned during the stretch run, which includes 25 more games before the Stanley Cup playoffs arrive — including Monday’s tilt with the San Jose Sharks at Canada Life Centre.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” said Morrissey. “Better, probably, than I could have even expected, in terms of fan engagement, the hockey, calibre of play, all-around experience and of course, being on a team that came out on top, it was awesome.

“When you go to those tournaments, you just want to embrace whatever role is available to you. You’re on a team of all-stars, so I was excited that the coaches believed in me and it felt like they gave me a lot of opportunity to play and I felt I handled that well.”

To say Morrissey handled the spotlight well is an understatement — and the same goes for Hellebuyck, who allowed only five goals in the three starts that he made for Team USA.

Given how competitive he is, it wasn’t a surprise that Hellebuyck isn’t quite over getting so close to winning it all but ultimately coming out on the wrong side of a 3-2 overtime loss — though he was able to identify plenty of positives as well.

“It was a goal short, really,” said Hellebuyck. “A lot of good things, had a lot of fun and met a lot of good people along the way. I would imagine a lot of them are going to be together next year.

“It is kind of a heartbreak and I am still getting over it, but I am looking forward to the rest of our season and a big playoff push. It was fun to play emotional games, heavy emotional games and get into it. I am looking forward to what we have for the rest of the season.”

“It is kind of a heartbreak and I am still getting over it, but I am looking forward to the rest of our season and a big playoff push.”– Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck

Hellebuyck will be back between the pipes for his 44th start of the campaign on Monday, while Morrissey returns to the lineup after coming down with a nasty flu virus that prevented him from suiting up in the gold medal game.

Morrissey was feeling mostly fine at the morning skate, but after consuming his pre-game meal and going down for a nap, things took a considerable turn for the worse and he didn’t get close enough to recovering until it was too late.

“I was beyond disappointed, couldn’t put into words, the feeling of things happening the way it did before the final. Just bad timing, I suppose,” said Morrissey. “To me, that was the biggest game of my life and I didn’t want to miss that game. It was crushing, but at the same time, when we were at the rink sitting there and things weren’t improving, it would have been selfish of me to go out there and hurt the team.

“They played amazing in that final game. I was so proud of them and so proud to be part of that team. Even though I wasn’t out there, I felt a part of it. A lot of great memories that probably haven’t even sunk in yet. The biggest takeaway probably is that I want to do it again. It’s an adrenalin rush that I’ve never experienced in my career. The beginning of the (Western) Conference final in my second year was probably the closest I could say, but that was on another level, so it makes you that much hungrier to be able to experience that again.”

The growth in Morrissey’s game during the past several seasons has been evident to anyone that’s been around him during his tenure with the Jets, but he took another important step forward during the past several weeks, as he was one of the most effective players in the tournament.

Shining on a pairing with Colton Paryako of the St. Louis Blues, Morrissey was also tasked with running Canada’s top power play unit against the United States when Cale Makar was out due to illness.

Not that he required validation, but Morrisssey showed the world that he’s one of the best defencemen in the NHL and that’s something that should provide an additional confidence boost as he returns to the Jets.

“Every guy was saying it was the fastest, most skilled and intense hockey they’d played,” said Morrissey. “I’m always thinking about how I can improve as a player. And definitely being around those guys, being in that environment, playing on that stage in those pressure moments, I think I tried to soak it all in, learn a ton, and bring those things back with me to help me become a better player and be a better player here with the Jets and hopefully be able to play in big moments like that with our team.”

Those big moments could be just around the corner.

“Hopefully as soon as this year, in a few months. And also in the future if I get that opportunity to represent Canada again on that stage,” said Morrissey. “Still probably unpacking all of the things. But throughout the tournament, I tried to just make notes on things that I was thinking about and learning or seeing what other guys were doing. So just an amazing environment with the elite of the elite of hockey, to soak that in and learn and also compete with.

“And to your point, this is a long-winded answer but proving to yourself that you belong on that stage and belong with those players and can play with and against those guys in those moments is definitely something I take a lot of confidence in coming back.”

“Listen, when you put on your country’s colours and flag, it just means something more. It’s not about you. It’s about the team… It’s about your country.”– Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey

Hellebuyck is someone who exudes confidence, but you can expect the experience – including the gut-wrenching ending – to serve him well when the Stanley Cup playoffs arrive.

“When you put the best on best on the ice, it slightly changes the game and makes it a little bit easier as well, especially being the goalie behind a really good defensive system. I thought the guys were exactly where you wanted them to be and you did your part and they did their part and it was a lot of fun to play a game like that,” said Hellebuyck. “The best thing about it was the game didn’t feel too different than our system here. We have been playing really good here in Winnipeg and it was a smooth transition into that game. With that being said, everything was where it was expected or what I saw is what I got.”

Having the opportunity to be part of the first best-on-best tournament in nearly a decade is something Morrissey will cherish forever.

“Listen, when you put on your country’s colours and flag, it just means something more. It’s not about you. It’s about the team and it’s about something even bigger than the team. It’s about your country,” said Morrissey. “Obviously, we felt that pride and we felt that need to go out there and represent our country in the best way we possibly could. I mean, we haven’t had best-on-best in a long time. There were so many elements that made this tournament the perfect build-up for international hockey again.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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