NHL power rankings: Top 3 greatest goalies of all time
In this week’s NHL power rankings, we take a look at who are the top three goalies in NHL history.
Even though the NHL is currently on hold, we’re still trying to have weekly NHL power rankings articles. This week, we’re taking a look at goalies.
In hockey, the goaltending position is arguably the most important in the game. It doesn’t matter how many goals your team scores if you have a goalie who is unable to make saves. It can be an extremely lonely position at times, as fans often credit the goal scorers for a teams win and fault the goalies for a loss.
The NHL, which was founded in 1917, has seen tens of thousands of goaltenders. Some have struggled, some have been good, and some have simply been fantastic. The fantastic ones are the goalies who are able to not only play at a top level and steal games, but do so consistently. They can win games and even championships despite not playing on the most talented team. Though there are many who are regarded as great goalies, these three are the best to ever do it.
3. Martin Brodeur
The New Jersey Devils made likely their greatest draft choice of all time when they selected Martin Brodeur 20th overall in the 1990 draft. The Montreal Quebec native had a brilliant career, proven by his all time NHL leading 691 wins. To prove the point of just how incredible that is, the second highest win total by a goalie is 551.
One forgotten part of Brodeur’s excellence was his longevity. Along with leading the NHL all time in wins, he also leads in both games played (1266) and losses (397). In 12 of his 21 seasons he started 70 or more games, which is a testament to both his mental and physical strength.
Brodeur was known his entire career for being a winner. He led the Devils to three Stanley Cup Championships in 1995, 2000, and 2003 and helped Team Canada capture Gold Medals at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics. He also won many individual awards over the course of his career, including four Vezina Trophies, five William M. Jennings Trophies, and a Calder Trophy.
While being known for many great things amongst fans and players alike, Brodeur may perhaps most be remembered for his superb puck handling abilities. The now 48-year-old sits tied for second all time with 47 points, but even more impressive is his goal total. He scored two regular season goals in his career, which is a record in it’s own right, but also has a playoff goal under his belt. Marty is generally regarded as being the best puck moving goalie of all time.
By the time Brodeur’s career was all said and done, he finished with a career goals against average (GAA) of 2.24 and a save percentage (SV%) of .912. He also sits atop the all-time shutouts list with a whopping 125, with the next closest being Terry Sawchuk at 103.
The one blemish he had at the end of his career came when he decided to sign as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues for the 2014-15 season after the Devils decided to move on from their franchise icon.
He likely would have just retired if he could do it again, as his Blues tenure was a complete disaster and he only appeared in seven games with them as a result. Despite that blip on the radar, he is without a doubt one of the best to ever do it.
2. Patrick Roy
Along with being known as one of the best goaltenders ever, Patrick Roy was also one of the most animated. The French-Canadian goaltender had a fiery and egotistical side to him, which made some fans love him and others despise him. Regardless of your thoughts on him however, it is impossible to deny his greatness. He sits second behind just Brodeur at 551 wins despite playing in 237 less games.
Like Brodeur, Roy was also a tremendous puck moving goaltender. In fact, he sits just two points behind Brodeur with 45, which is good enough for fourth all time. His fiery side is also on display when you look at his penalty minutes, as he had 262 which has him ranked ninth all time.
Roy played for two teams over his career, first the Montreal Canadiens, who he was traded by in his 12th with the team, and the Colorado Avalanche, who he spent the final eight seasons of his career with.
Though his tenure with the Canadiens was terrific, it ended on a sour note as he demanded a trade mid game after being left in the net for nine goals on 26 shots versus the Detroit Red Wings. After finally being taken out of the game late in the second period, he walked up to Canadiens president Ronald Corey on the bench and told him it was his last game with the team.
Just four days later, Roy was dealt to the Canadiens in one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history. With his Habs career being over, he finished his tenure there with two Stanley Cup Championships (1986, 1993), three Vezina Trophies, four William M. Jennings Trophies, and two Conn Smythe’s.
Roy continued his success as a member of the Avalanche. He went on to win two more Stanley Cups with them (1996,2001), as well as a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Williams M. Jennings Trophy.
Roy’s career was similar with Brodeur’s in regards to the endings both being disappointing, although for entirely different reasons. While Brodeur’s play had fallen off big time his last few seasons, Roy was still arguably the best in the league when he retired. His final season in the NHL saw him post a 2.18 GAA and a .920 SV%.
1. Dominik Hasek
Dominik Hasek, known by many as “The Dominator” is the best goalie the NHL has ever seen. He has the most Vezina Trophies under the current system of voting for the league’s best individual goalie with six. Those six Vezina wins are even more incredible when mentioned with the fact he only played 15 NHL seasons.
His career 2.20 GAA is eighth all time, however Roman Cechmanek is the only goalie ahead of him who was born after 1910. As a result of the other goalies ahead of Hasek playing so long ago, none of them have recorded save percentages, as that was not a stat used at the time. His spectacular career .922% save percentage has him sitting tied for first all-time with current Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask and former great Ken Dryden.
One unfortunate thing for Hasek was that he did not play in as many career games as most the all time greats. Due to injuries, as well as briefly retiring, he appeared in just 735 games. His record in those games was outstanding, going 389-223-95. Over the course of those 735 games he had tenures with the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and one season with the Ottawa Senators.
Like the other two goalies on this list, Hasek won plenty of hardware over his career. Along with his six Vezina Trophies, he has two Stanley Cup rings (2002, 2008), both of which came with the Red Wings, three William M. Jennings Trophies, two Lester B. Pearson Trophies, and two Hart Trophies. To this day he is the only goalie to win two Hart Trophies, and he was able to do so in consecutive seasons.
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At quick glance, you may have mistaken Hasek to be the worst goalie of all time due to his extremely unorthodox style of play. Whether he was covering pucks with his blocker rather than his glove, using his head to make a save, or flailing around the net, it was always entertaining watching him play. It was also extremely effective, as he is the best goalie in the history of the game.