Winnipeg Jets news — Connor Hellebuyck heard exactly what Winnipeg thought of him the moment he stepped on the ice at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night, and the boos did not stop until the Jets had beaten his New Jersey Devils 4 to 2.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 10, 2026
Sources: HockeyFeed, theScore | Last updated: November 10, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Jets fans booed Connor Hellebuyck the instant he took the ice for warmups, his first skate at Canada Life Centre as a visiting player.
- The crowd chanted “Coward” at the three time Vezina Trophy winner, and fans threw t-shirts and jerseys onto the ice.
- Hellebuyck did not play. New Jersey sat him for the game, saying he would potentially give the Devils a reduction in expected win probability.
- The Jets won 4 to 2, with Dawson Mercer scoring twice against his former team.
- Coach Scott Arniel said the building was rocking from warmup to the final horn.
Boos From the First Step Onto the Ice
Hellebuyck was the last New Jersey Devil to come out for warmup on Tuesday night, and the crowd let him know it. The boos started the instant his skates hit the ice at Canada Life Centre, his first time back in the building since the October 23 trade that ended his 11 seasons in Winnipeg.
The anger was not a surprise. Hellebuyck asked for a trade after last season, missed training camp, and was dealt to New Jersey. Then the Devils announced on Sunday that he would not start Tuesday, a decision that left Winnipeg without the closure of seeing him in goal against his old team.
Coward Chants and Jerseys on the Ice
The warmup turned loud fast. Fans chanted “Coward! Coward! Coward!” at Hellebuyck as he skated, and t-shirts and jerseys started landing on the ice. HockeyFeed reported that garbage was thrown onto the ice as well.
Video from the warmup shows the crowd in full voice before the puck ever dropped. Dave Minuk of Illegal Curve Hockey posted a clip of the chant as it rolled around the building.
“Coward” was this chant for Connor Hellebuyck as Winnipeg warms up
— Dave Minuk (@ICdave) November 10, 2026
The hostility carried into the game itself. Just twenty seconds after puck drop, fans started a loud “Where is Connor?” chant, a reminder that the man they came to boo was watching from the bench instead of standing in the Devils net.
The Building Was Rocking, Arniel Said
Jets head coach Scott Arniel felt it from behind the bench. “Not too often the building is rocking in warmup and right from the drop of the puck,” Arniel said after the game, in comments reported by Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press. “I just really like the way guys recognized the two points were extremely important.”
The Jets gave the crowd what it wanted. Mercer scored twice against his former team, Kyle Connor sealed the 4 to 2 win with an empty net goal, and Winnipeg outshot New Jersey 25 to 21. The Jets also flashed the Devils win probability at 0.0 percent on the scoreboard after the victory, a jab at the statement New Jersey used to explain sitting Hellebuyck.
A Win Without Facing Him
Hellebuyck watched it all from the bench. He told reporters on Tuesday that he wanted to play in Winnipeg and disagreed with the decision to sit him, and he has won all five of his starts with New Jersey with a 1.96 goals against average. The Jets and Devils do not meet again until November 28 in Newark, so whatever closure Winnipeg wanted will have to wait.
For one night, though, the fans got their say, and the Jets got the two points.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Jets and the Hellebuyck story as announcements are made.
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Did Jets fans go too far with the boos and the jerseys on the ice, or was that exactly the welcome Hellebuyck earned? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian who watched the most heated homecoming in Winnipeg hockey in years.
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