Ranking the top 5 worst Vezina Trophy winners in NHL history
Each season, NHL general managers vote on the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the best goalie. They have made quite a few mistakes.
Each season, the Vezina Trophy is awarded to the NHL goaltender “adjudged to be the best at this position as voted by the general managers of all clubs”. Simply put, it goes to whoever the GMs think had the best season as a goaltender.
Obviously, “best” is a very subjective term, especially when it comes to goalies. Hockey analytics have improved immensely in the last five years, but most people are still mostly stuck with wins, save percentage, and GAA for goalies. Sure, there are useful stats like GSAA (goals saved above average), but when’s the last time you heard someone in a front office reference that?
This makes voting for the “best” goaltender difficult. Which means there have been some very controversial Vezina Trophy winners. I’m here to take a look at the five worst winners of all-time.
First, let’s set some boundaries. I’m not including any winner before the 1981-82 season because before then, the Vezina simply went to goalies of the team that allowed the fewest goals. It was what we know today as the William B. Jennings Trophy. This gives me 37 possible Vezina winners to choose from (the 2019-20 winner hasn’t been named yet).
Also, I’m only looking at single seasons. For example, Jose Theodore might be the worst goalie to win a Vezina Trophy since 1981. However, in the season he won the Vezina, he was unquestionably the best goalie. I’m looking for goalies who didn’t deserve to win.
So let’s get to it and look at the five worst Vezina Trophy winners in NHL history.
5. Pete Peeters (1982-83)
Pete Peeters (one of the best names in hockey history, by the way) had a pretty solid season in 1982-83. In 63 starts, he finished with 40 wins with an impressive at the time .903% save percentage and a 2.37 GAA. Peeters received all 21 of the first place votes.
However, knowing what we know now, Roland Melanson of the New York Islanders was a more deserving candidate. While he only played in 44 games, he finished with a .909% save percentage, the highest mark in the league.
Also, Peeters’ job was made relatively easy by the Boston Bruins, who allowed the fewest shots against per game in the NHL. Meanwhile, the Islanders ranked seventh.
4. John Vanbiesbrouck (1985-86)
The Vezina Trophy race during the 1985-86 season was one of the closest in NHL history. In his first full season as the starting goalie for the New York Rangers, John Vanbiesbrouck narrowly won the Vezina Trophy by a mere two points.
Vanbiesbrouck tied for the league lead in wins with 31 and played in an impressive 61 games. He was the Rangers best player and he also finished fifth in the Hart Trophy voting. Considering the Rangers scored the second-fewest goals in the league and still managed to make the playoffs, it’s hard to argue Vanbiesbrouck was one of the most valuable players in the league.
However, the Vezina Trophy has nothing to do with value. It strictly goes to the best goaltender. That wasn’t Vanbiesbrouck. Rather, it was the guy who finished just two points behind him – Bob Froese.
Froese finished with a higher save percentage (.909% to .887%) and finished with the same number of wins as Vanbiesbrouck, despite playing in fewer games (51 to 61).
Voters confused the two awards, I think. Objectively, Vanbiesbrouck was probably one of the five most valuable players in the league regardless of position. However, “valuable” and “best” are not always synonymous. They usually are, but this is a case where they’re different.
3. Ed Belfour (1992-93)
Ed Belfour had one heck of a run from 1990 to 1995. During that five year span, he won two Vezina Trophies, had a second place finish in the Vezina race, and led the league in shutouts for four consecutive seasons.
Belfour won his second Vezina Trophy during the 1992-93 season. He played in a league-high 71 games, which is insane for a goalie. Belfour also had the most shutouts (7). He deserved to be a Vezina finalist, but he shouldn’t have won. And sadly, the guy who should have won, Curtis Joseph, really need that Vezina win.
Joseph appeared in 68 games, just three behind Belfour. Also, Curtis Joseph faced the most shots against of any goalie in the league and also made the most saves. Granted, this was due to playing in so many games, but it’s clearly meaningful. He also led the league in GSAA and goaltending point shares.
So why didn’t he win? Well, Joseph only had 27 wins because the St. Louis Blues weren’t a very good team. They finished just outside the bottom five in goals scored and barely even managed a .500% point percentage. If Joseph and Belfour swapped places, Joseph would have won in a landslide. He was the better goalie, no question about it.
With a Vezina Trophy, Curtis Joseph might be in the Hall of Fame. Remember, there are no goalies in the Hall of Fame without a Vezina. He’s one of the most underrated goalies of all-time, so maybe it’s appropriate that he can’t get into the Hall of Fame.
2. Martin Brodeur (2003-04)
Martin Brodeur is one of the greatest goaltenders of all-time. If you’re looking for consistency and longevity, Brodeur had both. You don’t set the records for career wins and career shutouts without being good enough to stay in the NHL. His best stretch came from 2002 to 2008.
Brodeur won four Vezina Trophies during that span. Keep in mind he lost a season thanks to the 2004-05 lockout. His least deserving Vezina Trophy came in 2003-04. Brodeur led the league in games played (75), wins (38), and shutouts (11). However, there were two more deserving candidates who should have won.
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First, there was Miikka Kiprusoff, who finished in second place. While he only appeared in 38 games, his numbers were impossible to ignore. Kiprusoff’s .933% save percentage and 1.69 GAA were the best and lowest in the NHL, respectively. He went on to win the Vezina Trophy in 2004-05, so you shouldn’t feel too bad for him.
The guy you should feel bad for is Roberto Luongo, who finished in third place. His numbers were comparable to Kiprusoff, as he finished with a .931% save percentage. However, Luongo played in 72 games and wound up facing the most shots against in the entire league. He didn’t win because, you guessed it, he only had 25 wins because the Florida Panthers were awful that season.
Brodeur probably should have finished second. But Luongo deserved to win. And if he doesn’t get into the Hall of Fame because of his zero Vezina Trophies, the voters in 2003-04 ought to feel a ton of shame.
1. Jim Carey (1995-96)
Funny story. I thought Jim Carey the goalie was Jim Carey the actor. Don’t judge me, I was 7 years old at the time! And yes, Jim Carey the goalie had the nickname “The Net Detective” because his fame overlapped with the actor’s most famous film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Anyway, Jim Carey of the Washington Capitals had a heck of a start to his NHL career. He took over the net in 1994-95. In his rookie season, he played in 28 games, accumulating an 18-6-3 record with a .913% save percentage and four shutouts. Carey only played in 28 games, but he still finished second in the Calder Trophy voting and third in the Vezina Trophy voting.
He won it the next season even though he didn’t deserve it at all. Carey didn’t finish in the top 10 among qualified goaltenders in save percentage. He finished in third place in GAA, though the Capitals made his job easy. Carey probably won it because of his league-high nine shutouts in 71 games. He was out of the league three seasons later.
Chris Osgood would have been a great choice to win. Sure, he had a loaded Detroit Red Wings team in front of him, but he posted a better save percentage, a lower GAA, and had a league-high 39 wins in 50 games. I guess 1995-96 was the one year voters didn’t care about wins!
Next. 5 Worst Hart Trophy Winners In NHL History. dark
Or they could have just given it to Dominik Hasek, who had won the previous two Vezina Trophies and led the league in save percentage.