SportsMonkie.com
Ice Hockey

Vezina Trophy Winners (NHL's Best Goaltender)

By SportsMonkie Ice Hockey Desk Updated July 29, 2026
Goaltender's mask and pads beside an NHL trophy on the ice
On this page5
  1. 01Recent Vezina Trophy winners
  2. 02The record holder: Jacques Plante and seven trophies
  3. 03Every multiple Vezina winner
  4. 04How the Vezina changed in 1982
  5. 05The active chase

Jacques Plante holds the record for the most Vezina Trophies, with seven, won between 1956 and 1969. No goaltender has matched that total, and Plante’s run for the great Montreal Canadiens teams of the era set a bar for netminding excellence that only Bill Durnan and Dominik Hasek, both on six, have approached.

The Vezina Trophy is the NHL’s award for its best goaltender, decided since 1982 by a vote of the league’s general managers. The most recent winner is Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, who took the 2024 award. Here is the list of recent winners, the all-time multiple winners, and how the award changed from a team statistic into a personal honor. Figures are current through the 2024 season.

Recent Vezina Trophy winners

The table lists the NHL’s best goaltender for each of the most recent seasons.

YearWinnerTeam
2024Connor HellebuyckWinnipeg Jets
2023Linus UllmarkBoston Bruins
2022Igor ShesterkinNew York Rangers
2021Marc-Andre FleuryVegas Golden Knights
2020Connor HellebuyckWinnipeg Jets
2019Andrei VasilevskiyTampa Bay Lightning
2018Pekka RinneNashville Predators
2017Sergei BobrovskyColumbus Blue Jackets
2016Braden HoltbyWashington Capitals
2015Carey PriceMontreal Canadiens
2014Tuukka RaskBoston Bruins
2013Sergei BobrovskyColumbus Blue Jackets
2012Henrik LundqvistNew York Rangers
2011Tim ThomasBoston Bruins
2010Ryan MillerBuffalo Sabres

The 2025 Vezina Trophy is presented at the end of that season, as it is every year.

The record holder: Jacques Plante and seven trophies

Plante won six of his seven Vezinas in the Plante-era Canadiens dynasty of the late 1950s, then added a seventh in 1969 with St. Louis, splitting duties with Glenn Hall. He is remembered as much for innovation as for the trophies: Plante popularized the goalie mask and roamed to play the puck behind his net, changing how the position is played.

Because the pre-1982 Vezina went to the goalie on the lowest-scoring team, Plante’s totals were tied to Montreal’s dominance as well as his own brilliance. The gap to the modern era is why his seven still tops the list more than 50 years later.

Every multiple Vezina winner

The goaltenders with the most Vezina Trophies:

WinsGoaltenderEra
7Jacques Plante1950s-60s
6Bill Durnan1940s
6Dominik Hasek1990s-2000s
5Ken Dryden1970s
4Terry Sawchuk1950s-60s
4Martin Brodeur2000s
3Tony Esposito1970s
3Patrick Roy1980s-90s

Bill Durnan won six in a seven-year window in the 1940s, all for Montreal. Dominik Hasek’s six with Buffalo in the 1990s came under the modern voting system, arguably making his the most impressive haul because he won as the outright best goalie in the league rather than the beneficiary of a strong defense. Ken Dryden’s five and Martin Brodeur’s four anchor the Montreal and New Jersey dynasties they backstopped.

How the Vezina changed in 1982

For most of its history the Vezina was a team statistic in disguise. From 1927 to 1981 it went automatically to the goaltender or goaltenders on the team that allowed the fewest goals across the season, which meant it often rewarded the defense in front of the netminder as much as the netminder himself. That is why some winners shared it, and why the totals of Plante and Durnan are tied to great defensive teams.

In 1982 the league split off a separate honor: the Vezina became a vote by general managers for the single best goaltender, and the William M. Jennings Trophy took over the fewest-goals-allowed function. Every winner since — from Hasek to Hellebuyck — earned it as a judgment of individual play.

The active chase

Connor Hellebuyck leads the current generation with two Vezinas, in 2020 and 2024, and remains among the most consistent goalies in the league. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Igor Shesterkin and Sergei Bobrovsky have all won it too, but no active goaltender is within range of Plante’s seven or even Hasek’s six.

For more on the players in front of these goalies, see where the league’s snipers rank on our most goals in NHL history leaderboard, or the playmakers on most assists in NHL history. Jacques Plante’s seven Vezinas have led the list since 1969, and no goaltender has come closer than six.

Share this article

Frequently asked questions

Who has won the most Vezina Trophies?+

Jacques Plante has won the most Vezina Trophies, with seven between 1956 and 1969. Bill Durnan and Dominik Hasek are next with six each, and Ken Dryden won five. Plante's total remains the goaltending benchmark in the NHL's award history.

What is the Vezina Trophy?+

The Vezina Trophy is awarded each year to the NHL's best goaltender. Since 1982 it has been voted on by the league's general managers. Before that it went to the goalie or goalies on the team allowing the fewest goals. It is named after early netminder Georges Vezina.

How many Vezina Trophies did Dominik Hasek win?+

Dominik Hasek won six Vezina Trophies with the Buffalo Sabres, in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. That total ties him with Bill Durnan for second on the all-time list, behind Jacques Plante's seven, and made Hasek the defining goalie of the 1990s.

Who won the 2024 Vezina Trophy?+

Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets won the 2024 Vezina Trophy, his second, having first won it in 2020. He was recognized as the NHL's top goaltender after another elite season in net for Winnipeg.

Has the Vezina Trophy always been voted on?+

No. From its introduction in 1927 until 1981, the Vezina went automatically to the goaltender or goaltenders on the team that allowed the fewest goals. The general managers' vote for the single best goaltender only began in 1982, changing how winners are chosen.

Which active goaltender has won the most Vezinas?+

Connor Hellebuyck leads active goaltenders with multiple Vezina Trophies, having won in 2020 and 2024. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky are among the recent winners as well, though none is close to the all-time totals of Plante, Durnan or Hasek.

Sources

Play & tools

Free browser games and tools — no account, no download.

Related ice hockey guides

View all →