Vezina Trophy

Lore & Background

The Vezina Trophy was named in honor of Georges Vezina, an exceptional goaltender with the Montreal Canadiens. Vezina collapsed during a game in 1925 and was diagnosed as having tuberculosis, 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 and Joe Cattarinich to honour Vezina permanently. It was first awarded at the end of the 1926–27 NHL season to George Hainsworth who had come to Montreal to succeed Vezina. The trophy was accepted by the league at its May 15, 1927, meeting in Montreal. The criteria for winning was variously reported. The Montreal Gazette and The 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,' while the Toronto Star reported that the trophy went to the 'most valuable' goaltender in the league. When Hainsworth won his third Vezina at the end of the 1928–29 NHL season, the trophy was reported to be for the 'most outstanding' goaltender in the league. However, later reports state that the trophy was based on the lowest goals against average (GAA). 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 the Hart Trophy and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

In Their Own Story

The ice at the Forum was thin with old memories. Jacques Plante stood in the crease, the familiar weight of his mask settling over his face—a small revolution in a sea of tradition. The crowd roared, a sound that had echoed for decades, but tonight it felt different. He wasn't just stopping pucks; he was upholding a lineage that began with a man who never wore a mask at all. As the final buzzer sounded and the trophy was brought onto the ice, Plante looked toward the rafters where Vezina's number 1 hung in silence. The silver gleamed under the arena lights, a cold promise of excellence passed from the ghost of the past to the living legend of the present.

Reader's Guide

From 1946 to 1981, the Vezina Trophy was awarded to the goaltender(s) of the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season. The goaltender playing the most games for that team would be awarded the trophy. As of the 1981–82 NHL season, the Vezina Trophy has been given to the most outstanding goaltender as voted by the general managers of the NHL teams. Billy Smith of the New York Islanders was the first winner of the Vezina under the current system. The voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by the 32 general managers of the teams in the National Hockey League, with all individual voters ranking their top three candidates on a 5–3–1 points system. Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs.

Did You Know?

• Jacques Plante holds the record for winning the most Vezinas with seven, followed by Bill Durnan and Dominik Hasek, who have won six each.
• Dominik Hasek has won the most awards under the current criterion of voting for the best individual goalie.
• Players for the Montreal Canadiens have won the Vezina 29 times.
• Only five players have won both the Vezina and Hart Memorial Trophy for the same season: Jacques Plante, Dominik Hasek (twice), Jose Theodore, Carey Price, and Connor Hellebuyck.
• Chuck Rayner is the only goaltender who has won the Hart Memorial Trophy but never won the Vezina Trophy.