Beaulieu absorbs tough breaks

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This article was published 30/01/2020 (2048 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If there’s a guy who could use a shot in the arm, it’s Nathan Beaulieu.

We’re talking metaphorically here. The last thing the Winnipeg Jets defenceman needs is to get pelted by a frozen, vulcanized rubber disc streaking in at 160 km/h.

Been there, done that. Bought the yellow non-contact jersey.

Beaulieu has played just 21 games during the 2019-20 NHL season, relegated to the injury list three times for extended periods. Two of three injuries were the result of shot blocks.

He’s missed the last 11 contests after getting blasted in the back of his leg on New Year’s Eve in Denver. But he rejoined his teammates Thursday for a one-hour practice at the downtown rink and could be plugged into the lineup as early as Saturday night when the defending Stanley Cup-champion St. Louis Blues hit town.

“Close… getting there,” he said. “It’s been a long road, pretty frustrating, with the injuries this year but (you) can’t control that. Just looking forward to getting back into the lineup, whenever that is.

“Just trying to stay out of my own head. Going into the season you want to play as many games as you can. But you break three bones in a season, it’s hard to do that. It’s been difficult. But I’m excited to be back with my teammates. It’s a big time of year, and there’s a big playoff push. So this is the time of year you want to be playing hockey anyway.”

After missing the entire month of October with an upper-body injury sustained in Winnipeg’s final pre-season game, Beaulieu returned Nov. 5 and suited up for nine games but was sidelined again when he was struck in the hand by a shot against Columbus on Nov. 23.

It’s a hazard of the job, he said, adding there’s no worry of shell shock setting in.

 “You’ve gotta keep doing it. I’m not going to shy away from it. It’s pretty fluky. You block 50 shots, one will really hurt. But it seems like they don’t hit me in the right spot, unfortunately,” said Beaulieu, whose return should bolster the Jets inconsistent penalty kill, not to mention add some grit on the back end. “It’s not going to change my game. You’ve got to keep playing the same way.”

Hellebuyck promotes mental health

Winnipeg’s top centre Mark Scheifele took advantage of the extra day off given to NHL all-star weekend participants and missed Thursday practice, however, Connor Hellebuyck was between the pipes at Bell MTS Place facing a barrage of drives from his teammates.

The club’s No.1 netminder showed off a new mask design, a visual shoutout to breaking the silence around mental illness and supporting those affected by it. It features the words, ‘Breaking the Ice on Mental Health.’

“Some kids developed this for me and it’s about mental health. ‘Break the ice’, the stigma around it. Don’t hold back your thoughts, there’s help out there. It’s really good to bring mental health to light and how we’re trying to fix it, and how we don’t want it hidden in this world anymore,” said Hellebuyck.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell