William M. Jennings Trophy

Lore & Background

From 1946 until the 1980–81 season, the Vezina Trophy was awarded to the goaltender(s) of the NHL team allowing the fewest goals during the regular season. However, it was recognized that this system often meant the trophy went to the goaltender of the better team rather than the individual and was changed to offer the trophy to the most outstanding goaltender, as voted by the NHL general managers. The William M. Jennings Trophy was created as a replacement and is awarded to the starting goaltender(s) playing for the team with the fewest goals against. The Jennings Trophy was donated by the NHL's board of governors and first presented at the conclusion of the 1981–82 season. It is named in honor of the late William M. Jennings, who was a longtime governor and president of the New York Rangers and a builder of ice hockey in the United States. Normally the minimum number of games a goaltender must play to be eligible for the trophy is 25, but for the lockout shortened 1994–95 season, the required minimum was fourteen games. Ten players have won both the Jennings and Vezina Trophy for the same season: Patrick Roy (1988–89 and 1991–92), Ed Belfour (1990–91 and 1992–93), Dominik Hasek (1993–94 and 2000–01), Martin Brodeur (2002–03 and 2003–04), Miikka Kiprusoff (2005–06), Tim Thomas (2008–09), Carey Price (2014–15), Marc-Andre Fleury (2020–21), Linus Ullmark (2022–23), and Connor Hellebuyck (2023–24 and 2024–25). Roy and Brodeur have won the trophy five times each, the most of any goaltenders. Belfour is third, having won four times. The Montreal Canadiens have the most wins, with six, followed by the New Jersey Devils and the Chicago Blackhawks with five each, the Boston Bruins with four, and the Buffalo Sabres with three.

Reader's Guide

The William M. Jennings Trophy holds significance as the direct successor to the Vezina Trophy's original definition, which from 1946 until 1981 rewarded the goaltender(s) of the team allowing the fewest goals. When the Vezina was redefined to honor the most outstanding goaltender as voted by general managers, the Jennings Trophy was created to preserve the statistical achievement of fewest goals against. Its legacy is marked by the fact that it is often won by tandems of two goaltenders, reflecting the modern NHL's reliance on shared goaltending duties. Ten players have achieved the rare feat of winning both the Jennings and Vezina in the same season, underscoring the overlap between team defensive success and individual excellence. Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur each won the trophy five times, the most of any goaltender, while the Montreal Canadiens lead all teams with six Jennings wins. The trophy's name honors William M. Jennings, a longtime governor and president of the New York Rangers and a builder of ice hockey in the United States. The award's minimum game requirement of 25 games (adjusted to 14 for the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season) ensures that only goaltenders who have played a substantial portion of the season are eligible.

Did You Know?

• The Jennings Trophy replaced the Vezina Trophy's original definition, which from 1946 to 1981 awarded the goaltender(s) of the team allowing the fewest goals.
• Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur have each won the Jennings Trophy five times, the most of any goaltender.
• The Montreal Canadiens have the most Jennings Trophy wins of any team, with six.
• For the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, the minimum games required for eligibility was reduced to fourteen.

From the Vezina's Shadow

The William M. Jennings Trophy was born out of a fundamental rethinking of how the NHL recognized goaltending excellence. For over three decades, from 1946 through the 1980-81 campaign, the Vezina Trophy had been handed to the netminder of the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season. Over time, league officials recognized a troubling flaw in that approach: the award frequently went to the goaltender simply because his team was strong overall, rather than reflecting the individual's own statistical performance. The Vezina was redefined to honor the most outstanding goaltender as selected by NHL general managers, and a new award was needed to preserve the team-based, goals-against recognition. The Jennings Trophy filled that gap, first presented at the close of the 1981-82 season and donated by the league's board of governors. It carries the name of William M. Jennings, a longtime governor and president of the New York Rangers who was widely regarded as a builder of ice hockey in the United States.

Structure and the Tandem Tradition

At its core, the Jennings Trophy is awarded to the goaltender or goaltenders who played a minimum of twenty-five games for the team that allowed the fewest goals scored against it during the regular season. Despite the somewhat awkward phrasing in the NHL's official definition, the award effectively recognizes the netminder with the lowest goals-against average on a per-game basis rather than the absolute fewest total goals conceded. In practice, this means the trophy most often goes to a tandem of two goaltenders who shared the workload for the league's most defensively tight team. The only notable exception to the twenty-five-game threshold came during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, when the eligibility minimum was reduced to fourteen games to accommodate the truncated schedule. Since 1982, the award has been given out at the end of forty seasons and has found its way to forty-four different players, with the dual-goaltender format being the overwhelming norm rather than the exception.

Dynasties at the Net

A handful of goaltenders have etched their names into Jennings Trophy history with remarkable consistency. Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur each claimed the award five times, standing as the all-time leaders in individual wins. Roy achieved this across the late 1980s and early 1990s, while Brodeur's two back-to-back victories in 2002-03 and 2003-04 underscored his dominance during that era. Ed Belfour trails them with four wins, spread across the early and mid-1990s. On the team side, the Montreal Canadiens hold the record with six Jennings Trophy seasons, followed by the New Jersey Devils and the Chicago Blackhawks, each with five, the Boston Bruins with four, and the Buffalo Sabres with three. These clusters of wins reflect not just individual brilliance but sustained organizational commitment to defensive structure, making the Jennings Trophy as much a measure of a franchise's culture as of a single player's skill.

The Dual-Trophy Club and Modern Era

Perhaps the most celebrated achievement in Jennings Trophy history is winning both it and the Vezina in the same season, a feat accomplished by only ten players. The list reads like a hall of fame: Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour, Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur, Miikka Kiprusoff, Tim Thomas, Carey Price, Marc-Andre Fleury, Linus Ullmark, and Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck most recently added his name in 2023-24 and again in 2024-25, joining an exclusive group that spans four decades of NHL history. The award's most recent recipients are Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood of the Colorado Avalanche, whose team posted a league-low 197 goals against during the 2025-26 regular season. Across forty seasons of play, the Jennings Trophy has consistently highlighted the quiet, collective defensive work that underpins championship-caliber teams, even as the NHL's landscape of goaltending continues to evolve.