Hellebuyck, who attended Carr’s wedding this past summer, says the relationship between the goaltenders was invaluable. “We drove each other so hard and then we became pretty close because of it,” he says. “We had this push-pull that we always had going and it was so awesome and fun, honestly — it was just so fun. He would go, then I would go and the whole team would be sweet, and we were setting records.”

Throughout his freshman season, Hellebuyck kept his eye on stats, and there was a span of the year when he and Carr were 1-2 across the country in save percentage and goals against average. “He told me, there’s no reason we shouldn’t end the year as the 1-2 punch across the country,” Carr remembers. “Some people might think that would be tough to do, but he was dead serious.”

Hellebuyck held up his end of the deal, and he took over the crease as the team’s No. 1 halfway through his freshman season. The River Hawks went on to win their first of back-to-back Hockey East Titles, and Hellebuyck was named tournament MVP both years. His sophomore year, he won the Mike Richter Award for the top goalie in the NCAA. His career save percentage (.946) remains the best in NCAA men’s hockey history. After two seasons with the River Hawks in which he posted equal numbers of shutouts and losses (12), Hellebuyck made the decision to turn pro and begin his first season in the AHL with Winnipeg’s affiliate, then in St. John’s, Nfld. His plan, he says, was simple: “I went to the AHL, I was like, ‘I’m gonna kill this league and see what happens.’”

Hellebuyck’s shot with the Jets would come sooner than he thought — and, finally, he was getting the recognition and praise he deserved. Not that he cared about that last part. “I kind of was always the underdog,” Hellebuyck says with a shrug. “And I don’t even want to be recognized, I don’t need the fame or any of that, I figure it’s going to come if it comes. I just want to do the best, I want to be the best at what I do. I don’t care if other people think it or not.”