The 2014-15 NHL season has already started to heat up, with most teams gearing up for the stretch of the final 25 or so games. The trade deadline is almost upon us. Games will be tighter, points will be more scarce, superstars will be depended upon for scoring, and above all, goalies will be working to keep the pucks out as much, and as best, as they can. At season’s end, one goalie will be awarded the Vezina Trophy.
This award has a long history. It was introduced to the league in 1927, and was named after Montreal Canadiens standout goaltender Georges Vezina, who collapsed during a game in 1925, and later died in 1926 of tuberculosis. The trophy has been awarded to goalies at the end of each season for numerous reasons over the years, from best GAA, to most outstanding goalie in the league. It is currently awarded to goalies who are judged best at his position, with all 30 GMs in the NHL getting a vote. Today, we are going to take a look at the Vezina Trophy race.
Pekka Rinne
The 6’5 butterfly netminder has been absolutely brilliant for the Nashville Predators. Pundits may say that his size is the true reason for his excellent play, but then again, if that were true, wouldn’t we have Anders Lindback here as a candidate? Pekka Rinne is currently leading, or in the top five, for all goalie statistics in the league, with a record of 33-7-2, with three shutouts.
Considering that the Preds give up 28.8 shots against per game, and Rinne still has a GAA of 1.97 and a SV% of .931, it’s simply incredible. This is over 42 games, not a small sample of 10 games. Having a strong defensive core of Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Seth Jones, Ryan Ellis, Anton Volchenkov, and Mattias Ekholm certainly doesn’t hurt, but Rinne is still a big boost to the Preds, and the huge reason for this team leading the west, and the league, in points.
Keep your eye on Rinne for the next 20 or so games, he is bound to impress even more. Right now, he is definitely one of the two clear cut winners for the Vezina.
Carey Price
The 2005 former fifth overall pick has come a long way since breaking into the league, after leading the Hamilton Bulldogs to a Calder Cup. He has gone up and down, and battled the media with a bad reputation, but finally, Carey Price has come into his own. He is undoubtedly the heart and soul of the Montreal Canadiens right now, and the thread that is keeping this team from free-falling from fourth overall in the league to a bottom feeding team.
Price has had a wildly successful 2014-15 season, and a memorable 2014 calendar year. Since January 2nd 2014, Price has compiled a record of 48-20-4, a GAA of 2.16, and a SV% of .915, backstopped Team Canada to Gold at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, and carried the Habs to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2014 playoffs, before falling to an injury.
This season, it’s no different. Price has the entire team on his shoulders, being the sole reason for the Habs dominance. He is repping a 31-11-2 record with a GAA of 1.98, SV% of .934, and four shutouts, which is tops in the league. Montreal is one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, with 148, good for 21st overall, but they are also the least scored upon team, with only 123 goals through 55 games, which is mainly due to the tandem of Carey Price and Dustin Tokarski, but Price has done most of the heavy lifting.
Behind Rinne, Price is the next choice to take home the Vezina. With him healthy, and standing on top of his head, Montreal has a real chance of going far in the playoffs. They are a piece or two away from being a true contender, but with Price, a run to the Eastern Conference Finals is entirely possible.
Honourable Mention: Jaroslav Halak
The New York Islanders picked up Jaroslav Halak from the Washington Capitals for a fourth round pick in May 2014. They signed him shortly thereafter, and since then, he has been one cog in the Islander’s impressive 2014-15 season, sitting in second in the east, with a 37-18-1 record through 56 games.
Halak has run with the opportunity to be the starter with the Isles, and has made GM Garth Snow look like a genius for grabbing Halak for a late pick, despite him being an UFA in two months, prior to the trade. With a record of 31-11-0, 2.40 GAA, and a .912 SV%, he has been great for the team. He still does have some struggles, and there are some red flags, especially his 2.40 GAA, but if he can stay strong for the stretch, he may be a dark horse to win the Vezina, although it is a long shot.
Honourable Mention: Michael Hutchinson
The Winnipeg Jets’ 24 year-old rookie has played extremely well in his debut season, filling in for the injured Ondrej Pavelec, who is back now. Hutchinson has proved he can play with the best of them, and is sticking around for the rest of the season. He is sporting a record of 16-7-3, with two shutouts, 2.24 GAA, and a .923 SV%. His numbers have taken a hit in the past four games, but that is expected with a rookie goalie.
There is one reason why Hutchinson may not win. A rookie goalie has not won the Vezina Trophy since Ed “Eagle” Belfour, along with the Calder Memorial, in the 1990-91 season. Hutchinson will only end up with around 35-40 games played, so it would be tough for the voting to go his way, especially with Price’s and Rinne’s dominance, and playing close to full years, but if Hutchinson can find the dominance he showed when he first came in, and be consistent with it, he could be a serious contender for the trophy.
It’s worth noting that while Belfour is technically the last rookie to win the Vezina, he did have 23 games played in the prior season. Tom Barrasso won the Vezina in 1983-84 as a true rookie, having no games played prior to winning both the Calder Memorial Trophy and the Vezina Trophy.
In conclusion, the race for the Vezina is really tight right now, with Price and Rinne being the far and away two possible winners. It will be a duel between the two goaltenders, and they will meet on March 24th in Nashville. Halak and Hutchinson are dark horses to win the trophy, but unless these two suddenly begin to really dominate, and Price and Rinne start losing, don’t bet on them. Keep your eye on Price and Rinne, as it will be exciting to the last buzzer to see who will end up being the top goalie.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @TylerLWOS.
Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
