Vezina Trophy | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Vezina Trophy

The Vezina Trophy is awarded to the best goaltender in the National Hockey League during the regular season. Created in 1927 in honour of Georges Vézina, who died in 1926 at the age of 39, the trophy was originally awarded to the goaltender with the best goals-against average. Beginning in 1946, it was presented to the main goalie for the team that had allowed the fewest goals in the regular season; in 1965, it was expanded to include all of the team’s goalies who had played in at least 25 games. Since 1982, the winner has been determined by a vote among all NHL general managers. Voting occurs at the end of the regular season and the trophy is handed out during the NHL Awards, following the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Vezina Trophy

Background History

The Vezina Trophy was first presented in 1927 in memory of Georges Vézina, the Montreal Canadiens goaltender who collapsed during a game on 28 November 1925 and died of tuberculosis a few months later at the age of 39. The trophy was donated by Canadiens owners Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau and Joe Cattarinich.

Criteria

The original criteria for the Vezina Trophy was unclear, although it was usually awarded to the goaltender with the best goals-against average. Newspapers at the time reported that it was awarded to the “outstanding” or most valuable goaltender in the league, or to the goaltender with the lowest average.

In 1946, the NHL clarified the criteria for the Vezina Trophy, which would be awarded to the main goalie for the team that had allowed the fewest goals in the regular season. However, as the game evolved, and teams regularly employed more than one goalie, the criteria for the Vezina Trophy changed as well. In 1965, the league allowed goaltenders to share the award, as long as they had each played at least 25 games for the team (e.g., Johnny Bower and Terry Sawchuk of the Toronto Maple Leafs shared the trophy for the 1964–65 season). On one occasion, goaltenders from different teams shared the award: in 1973–74, the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Black Hawks tied for the lowest number of goals against, so the trophy was presented to both Bernie Parent and Tony Esposito.

Since the 1981–82 season, the Vezina Trophy has been awarded to the league’s outstanding goalie, as determined by a poll of all NHL general managers. Since 1982, the league has awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy to the goalie(s) with at least 25 games on the team that allowed the fewest goals.

Notable Winners

Jacques Plante won the Vezina Trophy seven times, including five consecutive trophies between 1956 and 1960. In 1969, he shared the award with Glenn Hall. Bill Durnan and Dominik Hasek won the Vezina Trophy six times, followed by Ken Dryden with five, and Terry Sawchuk, Martin Brodeur, Michel Larocque and Cecil Ralph “Tiny” Thompson with four. Canadiens goaltenders have won the most Vezina Trophies with 29.

Jacques Plante, early 1960s

Vezina Trophy Winners

Year Player Team
1927 George Hainsworth Montreal Canadiens
1928 George Hainsworth Montreal Canadiens
1929 George Hainsworth Montreal Canadiens
1930 Cecil Ralph “Tiny” Thompson Boston Bruins
1931 Roy Worters New York Americans
1932 Charlie “Chuck Gardiner Chicago Black Hawks
1933 Cecil Ralph “Tiny” Thompson Boston Bruins
1934 Charlie “Chuck Gardiner Chicago Black Hawks
1935 Lorne Chabot Chicago Black Hawks
1936 Cecil Ralph “Tiny” Thompson Boston Bruins
1937 Normie Smith Detroit Red Wings
1938 Cecil Ralph “Tiny” Thompson Boston Bruins
1939 Frank Brimsek Boston Bruins
1940 Dave Kerr New York Rangers
1941 Walter “Turk” Broda Toronto Maple Leafs
1942 Frank Brimsek Boston Bruins
1943 Johnny Mowers Detroit Red Wings
1944 Bill Durnan Montreal Canadiens
1945 Bill Durnan Montreal Canadiens
1946 Bill Durnan Montreal Canadiens
1947 Bill Durnan Montreal Canadiens
1948 Walter “Turk” Broda Toronto Maple Leafs
1949 Bill Durnan Montreal Canadiens
1950 Bill Durnan Montreal Canadiens
1951 Al Rollins Toronto Maple Leafs
1952 Terry Sawchuk Detroit Red Wings
1953 Terry Sawchuk Detroit Red Wings
1954 Harry Lumley Toronto Maple Leafs
1955 Terry Sawchuk Detroit Red Wings
1956 Jacques Plante Montreal Canadiens
1957 Jacques Plante Montreal Canadiens
1958 Jacques Plante Montreal Canadiens
1959 Jacques Plante Montreal Canadiens
1960 Jacques Plante Montreal Canadiens
1961 Johnny Bower Toronto Maple Leafs
1962 Jacques Plante Montreal Canadiens
1963 Glenn Hall Chicago Black Hawks
1964 Charlie Hodge Montreal Canadiens
1965 Johnny Bower/Terry Sawchuk Toronto Maple Leafs
1966 Lorne John “Gump” Worsley/Charlie Hodge Montreal Canadiens
1967 Glenn Hall/Denis DeJordy Chicago Black Hawks
1968 Lorne John “Gump” Worsley/Rogatien “Rogie” Vachon Montreal Canadiens
1969 Glenn Hall/Jacques Plante St. Louis Blues
1970 Tony Esposito Chicago Black Hawks
1971 Ed Giacomin/Gilles Villemure New York Rangers
1972 Tony Esposito/Gary Smith Chicago Black Hawks
1973 Ken Dryden Montreal Canadiens
1974 Tony Esposito
Bernie Parent
Chicago Black Hawks
Philadelphia Flyers
1975 Bernie Parent Philadelphia Flyers
1976 Ken Dryden Montreal Canadiens
1977 Ken Dryden/Michel Larocque Montreal Canadiens
1978 Ken Dryden/Michel Larocque Montreal Canadiens
1979 Ken Dryden/Michel Larocque Montreal Canadiens
1980 Don Edwards/Bob Sauve Buffalo Sabres
1981 Denis Herron/Michel Larocque/Richard Sevigny Montreal Canadiens
1982 Billy Smith New York Islanders
1983 Pete Peeters Boston Bruins
1984 Tom Barrasso Buffalo Sabres
1985 Pelle Lindbergh Philadelphia Flyers
1986 John Vanbiesbrouck New York Rangers
1987 Ron Hextall Philadelphia Flyers
1988 Grant Fuhr Edmonton Oilers
1989 Patrick Roy Montreal Canadiens
1990 Patrick Roy Montreal Canadiens
1991 Ed Belfour Chicago Blackhawks
1992 Patrick Roy Montreal Canadiens
1993 Ed Belfour Chicago Blackhawks
1994 Dominik Hasek Buffalo Sabres
1995 Dominik Hasek Buffalo Sabres
1996 Jim Carey Washington Capitals
1997 Dominik Hasek Buffalo Sabres
1998 Dominik Hasek Buffalo Sabres
1999 Dominik Hasek Buffalo Sabres
2000 Olaf Kolzig Washington Capitals
2001 Dominik Hasek Buffalo Sabres
2002 Jose Theodore Montreal Canadiens
2003 Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils
2004 Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils
2005 Season cancelled due to lockout
2006 Miikka Kiprusoff Calgary Flames
2007 Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils
2008 Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils
2009 Tim Thomas Boston Bruins
2010 Ryan Miller Buffalo Sabres
2011 Tim Thomas Boston Bruins
2012 Henrik Lundqvist New York Rangers
2013 Sergei Bobrovsky Columbus Blue Jackets
2014 Tuukka Rask Boston Bruins
2015 Carey Price Montreal Canadiens
2016 Braden Holtby Washington Capitals
2017 Sergei Bobrovsky Columbus Blue Jackets
2018 Pekka Rinne Nashville Predators
2019 Andrei Vasilevskiy Tampa Bay Lightning
2020 Connor Hellebuyck Winnipeg Jets
2021 Marc-André Fleury Vegas Golden Knights
2022 Igor Shesterkin New York Rangers
2023 Linus Ullmark Boston Bruins

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