What is the Vezina Trophy?

The Vezina Trophy is an annual award given to the NHL’s top goaltender during the regular season. The trophy was first awarded in 1927 and has a rich history of recognizing the league’s best netminders. Named after Georges Vezina, a goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens who died of tuberculosis in 1926, the award has become a coveted honor for goaltenders throughout the NHL.

In the early days of the NHL, no official awards were given to players for their performance on the ice. However, in 1927, the NHL’s Board of Governors decided to create an award for the league’s top goaltender. The award was named after Georges Vezina, who had been one of the league’s top goaltenders before his untimely death.

The first Vezina Trophy was awarded to George Hainsworth of the Montreal Canadiens in 1927-28. Hainsworth had an impressive record that season, with a 22-7-9 record and 22 shutouts. The shutout record still stands today as the most shutouts in a single season by a goaltender in NHL history.

Over the years, the Vezina Trophy has been awarded to some of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. In the 1950s and 1960s, Jacques Plante won the award a record seven times, while Terry Sawchuk won it four times. Other notable winners include Dominik Hasek, who won the award six times, and Martin Brodeur, who won it four times.

In the early days of the Vezina Trophy, it was awarded to the goaltender with the best goals-against average. However, as the NHL evolved, the award criteria changed. Today, the Vezina Trophy is awarded to the goaltender who is judged to be the best at his position during the regular season, as voted on by the NHL’s general managers.

In addition to the Vezina Trophy, the NHL also awards the William M. Jennings Trophy to the goaltender(s) on the team that allows the fewest goals during the regular season. This award was first introduced in 1981 and has since become a prestigious honor for goaltenders who excel at keeping the puck out of their net.

The Vezina Trophy remains one of the most prestigious awards in the NHL, with the league’s top goaltenders vying for the honor every season. From the early days of the NHL to today’s high-flying, high-scoring game, the Vezina Trophy has stood the test of time, recognizing the best of the best between the pipes.

1927: George Hainsworth (Montreal Canadiens)
1928: George Hainsworth (Montreal Canadiens)

1929: George Hainsworth (Montreal Canadiens)
1930: George Hainsworth (Montreal Canadiens)
1931: Charlie Gardiner (Chicago Blackhawks)

1932: Charlie Gardiner (Chicago Blackhawks)
1933: Tiny Thompson (Boston Bruins)
1934: Charlie Gardiner (Chicago Blackhawks)

1935: Lorne Chabot (Chicago Blackhawks)
1936: Tiny Thompson (Boston Bruins)
1937: Tiny Thompson (Boston Bruins)

1938: Dave Kerr (New York Rangers)
1939: Frank Brimsek (Boston Bruins)
1940: Dave Kerr (New York Rangers)

1941: 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: Frank Brimsek (Boston Bruins)

1947: Bill Durnan (Montreal Canadiens)
1948: Bill Durnan (Montreal Canadiens)

1949: Chuck Rayner (New York Rangers)

1950: Jim Henry (Boston Bruins)

1951: Al Rollins (Chicago Blackhawks)
1952: Terry Sawchuk (Detroit Red Wings)

1953: Terry Sawchuk (Detroit Red Wings)
1954: Al Rollins (Chicago Blackhawks)
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: Jacques Plante (Montreal Canadiens)

1962: Jacques Plante (Montreal Canadiens)
1963: Glenn Hall (Chicago Blackhawks)
1964: Charlie Hodge (Montreal Canadiens)

1965: Johnny Bower (Toronto Maple Leafs)
1966: Gump Worsley (Montreal Canadiens)
1967: Harry H. Lumley (Toronto Maple Leafs)

1968: Glenn Hall (St. Louis Blues)
1969: Jacques Plante (St. Louis Blues)
1970: Tony Esposito (Chicago Blackhawks)

1971: Ed Giacomin (New York Rangers)
1972: Ken Dryden (Montreal Canadiens)
1973: Ken Dryden (Montreal Canadiens)

1974: Bernie Parent (Philadelphia Flyers)
1975: Bernie Parent (Philadelphia Flyers)
1976: Ken Dryden (Montreal Canadiens)

1977: Ken Dryden (Montreal Canadiens)
1978: Ken Dryden (Montreal Canadiens)
1979: Ken Dryden (Montreal Canadiens)

1980: Tony Esposito (Chicago Blackhawks)
1981: Denis Herron, Michel Larocque (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: No winner due to the NHL 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-Andre Fleury (Vegas Golden Knights)

2022: Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Stanley Cup Aspirations – Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod

The boys are back after a long break but have plenty to talk about as the playoffs are in full swing. We go series by series, looking at how teams have fared so far and who will come out on top. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.