diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZooKeeperHelper.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZooKeeperHelper.java
index 423f79590ef4..e6c3da4d0f95 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZooKeeperHelper.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZooKeeperHelper.java
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ private ZooKeeperHelper() {
    *                         timeout to wait on connection establishment.
    */
   public static ZooKeeper getConnectedZooKeeper(String connectString, int sessionTimeoutMs)
-    throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+    throws IOException {
     ZooKeeper zookeeper = new ZooKeeper(connectString, sessionTimeoutMs, e -> {
     });
     return ensureConnectedZooKeeper(zookeeper, sessionTimeoutMs);
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public static ZooKeeper getConnectedZooKeeper(String connectString, int sessionT
    * @param timeout Time to wait on established Connection
    */
   public static ZooKeeper ensureConnectedZooKeeper(ZooKeeper zookeeper, int timeout)
-    throws ZooKeeperConnectionException, InterruptedException {
+    throws ZooKeeperConnectionException {
     if (zookeeper.getState().isConnected()) {
       return zookeeper;
     }
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ public static ZooKeeper ensureConnectedZooKeeper(ZooKeeper zookeeper, int timeou
     while (!zookeeper.getState().isConnected()) {
       Threads.sleep(1);
       if (stopWatch.elapsed(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS) > timeout) {
-        zookeeper.close();
         throw new ZooKeeperConnectionException("Failed connect after waiting "
           + stopWatch.elapsed(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS) + "ms (zk session timeout); " + zookeeper);
       }
diff --git a/hbase-zookeeper/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKMainServer.java b/hbase-zookeeper/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKMainServer.java
index 26bac9c1bb75..32a9ca818c45 100644
--- a/hbase-zookeeper/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKMainServer.java
+++ b/hbase-zookeeper/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/zookeeper/ZKMainServer.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseConfiguration;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseInterfaceAudience;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.ZooKeeperConnectionException;
 import org.apache.yetus.audience.InterfaceAudience;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.ZooKeeperMain;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.cli.CliException;
@@ -51,7 +52,11 @@ public HACK_UNTIL_ZOOKEEPER_1897_ZooKeeperMain(String[] args)
       // run the command without being connected, we get ConnectionLoss KeeperErrorConnection...
       // Make it 30seconds. We dont' have a config in this context and zk doesn't have
       // a timeout until after connection. 30000ms is default for zk.
-      ZooKeeperHelper.ensureConnectedZooKeeper(this.zk, 30000);
+      try {
+        ZooKeeperHelper.ensureConnectedZooKeeper(this.zk, 30000);
+      } catch (ZooKeeperConnectionException e) {
+        this.zk.close();
+      }
     }
 
     /**