Calgary numbers cruncher goes viral for website tracking salary loss of Jets’ goalie Connor Hellybuyck

WINNIPEG, MB - DECEMBER 3: Dawson Mercer #18 of the New Jersey Devils looks on as the puck gets behind goaltender Connor Hellebuyck #37 of the Winnipeg Jets for a first period goal at the Canada Life Centre on December 3, 2021 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)

A Calgarian who grew up in Winnipeg has transformed his frustration over a hockey dispute into a web page that’s generated a lot of traffic.

Robson Fletcher has been a Winnipeg Jets fan since he was a boy growing up in Winnipeg, but a trade request from superstar goaltender -- and Team USA Olympic gold-medal winner -- Connor Hellybuyck took a turn after Hellybuyck was suspended by the club over a trade situation.

In September, frustrated by the club’s inability to make a deal, Hellybucyk refused to report to training camp to try and become the latest American-born hockey star, like Matthew and Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes, to force his way out of his Canadian NHL town, essentially blackmailing management into accepting a lesser deal.

In response, the Jets suspended the goalie, who has a contract that pays him US $8.5 million a year through the conclusion of the 2030-31 season, without pay indefinitely.

So Fletcher decided to create Hellebucks.com, a website that showed how much money Hellybuyck was losing -- $38,660 a day -- and translated it into things Winnipeggers could more readily relate to, like how many Slurpees (520,367) or Fat Boys (144,707 from Juniors, an iconic local burger joint) or months rent for a typical Winnipeg one-bedroom apartment (867).

The reaction to Fletcher’s website was overwhelming, picking up more than 700,000 page views.

“I thought, you know, a few Jets fans would like it, maybe a few hundred or thousand people in Winnipeg might get a laugh out of it,” said Fletcher, “but the reaction to it has been way more than my most optimistic expectations at this point.”

Hellebucks.com has since been shared on sports channels across North America.

And Friday morning, Hellybuyck was traded to the New Jersey Devils, causing Fletcher to stop the clock on his pay deductions.

The final number was $927,835.05 for 24 days without pay or 45 cents a second.

That’s about 193,298 average length trips on the New Jersey Turnpike, where Jets fans everywhere are likely hoping Hellybuyck ends up stuck in traffic this winter.

Meanwhile, back on Hellebucks.com, Fletcher, a former CBC Radio reporter who now runs his own independent consulting business, thanked followers for their interest and is trying to raise $38,660 -- one day of Hellybuyck’s missing salary -- for KidSport Manitoba.

With files from CTV News’ Adam Brilz