Frank Brimsek 1939 Vezina Trophy

Lore & Background

The Vezina Trophy was awarded to the goaltender of the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season. Brimsek started 43 of 48 games for the Bruins that season, one of only two Vezina winners before 1950 who failed to start every game for his club.

In Their Own Story

The Boston Garden air was thick with cigarette smoke and the roar of six thousand fans as the final minutes ticked away on March 15, 1939. Frank Brimsek stood tall in the crease, his white pads stark against the dark ice, watching the Chicago Black Hawks' star winger wind up for a slap shot that seemed destined to break the streak. But 'Mr. Zero' didn't flinch; he dropped smoothly into his crouch, spreading his legs wide like a spider's web, and caught the puck on his chest with a soft thud. The crowd erupted instantly, knowing another shutout was sealed, another step toward the Vezina that would be his.

Reader's Guide

Brimsek's Vezina Trophy win in 1939 is part of the trophy's history when it was awarded to the goaltender of the team with the fewest goals against. The source does not specify which team allowed the fewest goals that season, but Brimsek was the recipient.

Did You Know?

• Frank Brimsek won the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same season (1938–39) as this Vezina Trophy.
• Brimsek is one of only five goaltenders to win both the Vezina and Hart trophies in the same season, according to the source.
• The source does not state that Brimsek was the first goaltender to achieve this.