4 Nations Face-Off final could cement Connor Hellebuyck as an all-time American legend

Connor Hellebuyck was expected to be the biggest difference maker for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off, especially against Canada, and so far he’s lived up to expectations. His performance in the tournament and even thus far in his NHL career have given him a resume worthy of being one of the best American goaltenders of all-time, but securing the USA’s first ever win in a best-on-best tournament could put him amongst the all-time greats, never mind the American greats.

ESPN writer Ryan S. Clark joined Daily Faceoff Live for their All 32 segment to talk about Hellebuyck and his American hockey legacy.

Ryan S. Clark: In terms of what this moment can do for him, it’s absolutely massive, because with the all-time American goalies, whether it’s been Mike Richter, Ryan Miller, they’ve all had these big moments in international play that have let people know and understand how important they’ve been to Team USA’s success. When you look at the situation with injuries and how they play this really tight game, to have a goaltender like Connor Hellebuyck has been absolutely immense

It’s going to be so hard to say where he ranks all-time until his career is over. But right now, he’s very much in the discussion, and if he wins the third Vezina, he’ll be the first American to ever do that, and at that point, he’ll be in a conversation with people like Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek and Martin Brodeur, and that is immense.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Coming into this tournament, this 4 Nations Face-Off had its detractors, and I think there would have been people who said, “Okay, sure, Connor Hellebuyck plays good, maybe he even wins MVP, but who cares?” But since we’ve gotten the tournament rolling, it’s grown in significance.

Does this big performance do anything to push him past other names on the list? Has this tournament began to feel more significant to you in that historical context?

Ryan S. Clark: It’s hard to say, just because as it’s grown, there’s been more of an appreciation for it, but it’s still going to be one of those things where, once he gets to an Olympics, once he gets to a World Cup of Hockey, that could be one of those moments.

But then in addition to international play, it’s the big question of him and the postseason. That’s just what it’s always been. So talking to different goalies, like Mike Richter, Jonathan Quick, who’ve won Cups, who are two of America’s all-time greats, they and others are of the opinion that you don’t necessarily need a Cup to be an all-time great, or even be the greatest of all time. But having that Cup, it’s not the worst thing to have on a resume, and neither is having a major performance in an international tournament.

You can watch the full episode here…