 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | National Hockey League'sgoaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position" |
| History | |
| First award | 1926–27 NHL season |
| First winner | George Hainsworth |
| Most wins | Jacques Plante (7) |
| Most recent | Connor Hellebuyck Winnipeg Jets |
TheVezina Trophy (/vɛzənə/VEH-zə-nə) is awarded annually to theNational Hockey League (NHL)goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position".[1] At the end of each season, the thirty-twoNHL general managers vote to determine the winner. It is named in honour ofGeorges Vezina, goaltender of theMontreal Canadiens from 1910 until 1925, who died in 1926 oftuberculosis. The trophy was first awarded after the1926–27 NHL season and was awarded to the top goaltender. From1946–47 to1981–82, the trophy went to the goaltender(s) of the team allowing the fewest goals during the regular season;[1] since the 1981–82 season, theWilliam M. Jennings Trophy has been awarded for this accomplishment.
The most recent winner isConnor Hellebuyck who won his third overall and second consecutive for the2024–25 season.
The Vezina Trophy was named in honor ofGeorges Vezina, an exceptional goaltender with theMontreal Canadiens. Vezina collapsed during a game in1925 and was diagnosed as havingtuberculosis, of which he died in 1926. Upon Vezina's death, the trophy was donated to the League by the Canadiens' owners,Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau andJoe Cattarinich to honour Vezina permanently. It was first awarded at the end of the1926–27 NHL season toGeorge Hainsworth who had come to Montreal to succeed Vezina.[1]
The trophy was accepted by the league at its May 15, 1927, meeting in Montreal.[2][3] The criteria for winning was variously reported. TheMontreal Gazette andThe Globe and Mail reported that it was 'to be awarded each year to the goaltender in the National Hockey League having the best(goals against) average,'[2][3] while theToronto Star reported that the trophy went to the 'most valuable' goaltender in the league.[4] When Hainsworth won his third Vezina at the end of the1928–29 NHL season, the trophy was reported to be for the 'most outstanding' goaltender in the league.[5] However, later reports state that the trophy was based on the lowest goals against average (GAA).[6][7][8]
The Vezina Trophy was quite prestigious, as it was one of the three major personal awards given out by the National Hockey League at the time, along with theHart Trophy and theLady Byng Memorial Trophy.[9] The hockey media closely follow a tight "Vezina Trophy race,"[10] such as in1940–41, whenFrank Brimsek,Turk Broda, andJohnny Mowers were separated by only three goals entering the final weekend of the season.[10][11]
In February 1946, the NHL stated that the trophy was to go to the team that allowed the fewest goals during theregular season. The goaltender playing the most games for that team would be awarded the trophy.[12][13] ManagerTommy Gorman of theMontreal Canadiens stated that if the trophy was awarded to his team, management would decide which of the Habs' two goaltenders (Paul Bibeault andBill Durnan) would receive the trophy.[13] However, at a banquet that October, NHL PresidentClarence Campbell indicated that while the league was considering changing the voting methods of theCalder,Hart, andLady Byng Trophies, the criteria for the Vezina were not changing.[14]
Since it was common for goaltenders to start every game before 1950, the Vezina usually went to the goaltender with the lowest personal goals against average in the league; however, there were two notable exceptions.George Hainsworth was awarded the inaugural trophy, whileClint Benedict had the lowest GAA in1926–27. Hainsworth's Canadiens allowed fewer goals as a team than Benedict'sMaroons.Wilf Cude had the lowest GAA in1933–34 in 30 games split between theDetroit Red Wings and Canadiens, but the Vezina was awarded toCharlie Gardiner, who started all 48 games for theChicago Black Hawks, the team that allowed the fewest goals.
The National Hockey League lengthened the schedule to 70 games starting in1949–50. Before then, it was very common for a goaltender to play every minute of his team's season, and only two Vezina winners—Frank Brimsek in both1938–39 (43 of 48 games) and1941–42 (47 of 48 games) andBill Durnan in1944–45 (40 of 50 games)—failed to start every game for their respective clubs.
As teams started to use more than one goaltender in a season regularly, it became increasingly common for the goaltender with the lowest GAA not to be a member of the team that allowed the fewest goals. The Vezina continued to be awarded to the goaltender who started the most games for the team that allowed the fewest goals, but the Vezina winners of1954–55,1960–61,1962–63 and1963–64 did not have the lowest GAAs.
The National Hockey League began allowing teammates to split the Vezina Trophy following the1964–65 NHL season. TheToronto Maple Leafs allowed 173 goals against (0 empty net goals), barely beating out Detroit's 175 goals against (3 empty net goals), and Chicago's 176 goals against (3 empty net goals). TorontoTerry Sawchuk played 36 games for the Leafs with a GAA of 2.56, while his teammateJohnny Bower played 34 games with a league-leading GAA of 2.38, but Sawchuk was to be the sole winner under the old criteria. During the season, the two agreed to split the $1000 prize money that came with the trophy if either of them won. At the end of the season, Sawchuk publicly stated that he would refuse the trophy if Bower would not also have his name inscribed.[15] The NHL subsequently changed the rule to allow any goaltender on the team who allowed the fewest goals against to qualify for the Vezina if he played at least 25 games, and applied this rule retroactively to Sawchuk and Bower.[16] Under this criterion,Turk Broda would have shared the Vezina thatAl Rollins won in1950–51. This criterion was in place until1980–81.[1]
The Vezina criteria had the trophy going to the goaltender(s) of the team that was best at preventing goals, not necessarily the best individual goaltender of the year. The best goaltender, as voted by the media, was theNHL first team All-Star. These often differed, such as in1979–80 whenDon Edwards andBob Sauve shared the Vezina whileTony Esposito was named to the First Team. During the1973–74 NHL season, the Chicago Black Hawks andPhiladelphia Flyers finished tied for the fewest goals against; therefore their respective goaltenders, Tony Esposito andBernie Parent, were both awarded the trophy, the only time that it would be shared between two players from different teams. For 1973–74 the media voted Parent a First Team All-Star and Esposito a Second Team All-Star.[1] Glenn Hall, who played for Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis during his career, was voted the First Team All-Star goaltender the most times of any goaltender, seven times, but only won the Vezina Trophy as the goaltender on the team allowing the fewest goals against three times. By contrast, Jacques Plante, was awarded the Vezina Trophy seven times, six of those when with the very dominant Montreal Canadiens of the 1950s and 1960s, but was voted as the First Team All-Star only three times. Plante's seventh Vezina Trophy was shared with Hall as they shared goaltending duties for the St. Louis Blues in 1968–69 when that team allowed the fewest goals in the league; Hall was voted as the First Team All-Star that year.
As of the1981–82 NHL season, the Vezina Trophy has been given to the most outstanding goaltender as voted by the general managers of the NHL teams.[17]Billy Smith of theNew York Islanders was the first winner of the Vezina under the current system. TheWilliam M. Jennings Trophy, given to the goaltender(s) who play(s) a minimum of 25 games for the team that allows the fewest goals, serves the function of the old Vezina.
The voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by the 32general managers of the teams in theNational Hockey League, with all individual voters ranking their top three candidates on a 5–3–1 points system.[18] Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs.
Jacques Plante holds the record for winning the most Vezinas with seven, followed byBill Durnan andDominik Hasek, who have won six each. Hasek has won the most awards under the current criterion of voting for the best individual goalie.[1] Players for theMontreal Canadiens have won the Vezina 29 times.[1]
Only five players have won both the Vezina andHart Memorial Trophy for the same season: Jacques Plante for1961–62; Dominik Hasek twice, for1996–97 and1997–98;Jose Theodore for2001–02;Carey Price for2014–15; andConnor Hellebuyck for2024–25. Two other goaltenders have won the Vezina and Hart trophies in separate seasons:Roy Worters (Hart1928–29, Vezina1930–31) andAl Rollins (Vezina1950–51, Hart1953–54).Chuck Rayner is the only goaltender who has won the Hart Memorial Trophy (which he did in1949–50) but never won the Vezina Trophy.[19]
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When introduced, the Vezina Trophy was awarded to the top goaltender in the league. Several winners, including Hainsworth in 1927 and Gardiner in 1934, did not have the lowest goals-against average. In 1946, the NHL Governors further clarified the criteria for winning. It was to go to the team with the fewest goals scored against it during the season. The goalie playing the most games for the team was awarded the trophy.[12] In 1965, the NHL Governors began allowing teammates to share the Vezina Trophy. From 1965 to 1981, the Vezina was awarded to any goaltenders who played 25 or more games for the team allowing the fewest goals against.
The NHL adopted the current criteria for the Vezina Trophy beginning in 1981–82. TheWilliam M. Jennings Trophy was created as a new award for the goaltender(s) playing 25 or more games for the team allowing the fewest goals against.
