Winnipeg Jets fan tracks Hellebuyck’s lost salary with ‘funny, informative’ site

Suspended Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has missed out on more than US$400,000 in salary since the team opened its season without him in net, according to a new website called Hellebucks.

The website was created by Robson Fletcher, who said he’s been following the team since Jets 1.0, and has continued his fandom since moving to Calgary. The Hellebucks site has a live tracker that shows how much the former league MVP has lost since his holdout began.

“I built it because I was kind of thinking about how much money he was giving up,” Fletcher told 680 CJOB Friday morning. He said the thought came to him while watching the Jets face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

“It was meant to be funny, informative and just a little bit petty.”

In October 2023, Hellebuyck and Jets star centre Mark Scheifele made league headlines after signing identical seven-year contract extensions, each worth an average annual value of US$8.5 million.

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Three years later, Hellebuyck was suspended without pay after he failed to show up for the start of the team’s training camp. The move came after the goalie went public with a trade demand in late August.

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Fletcher said he suspects the reason for the U.S. Olympian’s request goes deeper than what fans may assume.

“That’s a personal decision for him, but I think what I and a lot of fans and Winnipeggers are feeling is the fact that when you sign a contract, you typically try to fulfill the contract. It wasn’t that long ago (that) he said he wanted to be a Jet for life,” he said.

“I think that’s why a lot of folks are feeling a little burned by this, but I’m sure he’s got his own reasons that we’re probably not fully aware of.”

Reaction to the website has been “hilarious” since it blew up Thursday, Fletcher said. Initially, he was able to operate it for free, but the number of visitors surpassed the amount he was allowed without payment. He is now paying $5 per month to keep the tracker running.

His ability to gather the information necessary for the website comes from his work. Fletcher said he runs a communications and data consultancy firm that tries to break down the numbers in simple terms – a skill he also used on Hellebucks.

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“(The website) breaks it into more day-to-day terms, like how many Slurpees is that? Or how many months of rent,” he said.

At the time of publication, Hellebuyck has lost enough money to pay for 388 months of rent in a one-bedroom apartment in Winnipeg with heat included in the price, according to Hellebucks. In other terms, that is more than 3,700 lower bowl tickets to watch a single Jets game at Canada Life Centre or more than 230,000 Slurpees.

“This is real money that he’s giving up. And putting it in context, I think, helps us understand what’s going on with not just with this situation, but professional sports in general right now,” the website’s founder said.