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Ranking the top 5 worst Vezina Trophy winners in NHL history

By Dave Stevenson

Goaltender Jim Carey of the Washington Capitals (Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport)
Goaltender Jim Carey of the Washington Capitals (Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport) /
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John Vanbiesbrouck #34 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

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.

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