In the 90 year history of the New York Rangers, their goaltenders have won the coveted Vezina Trophy 4 times. 5 men who have their names etched on that trophy.
The New York Rangers have had some incredible goaltenders during their ninety years in the NHL. Terry Sawchuck, Jacques Plante, Lorne “Gump” Worsley, and Mike Richter just to name a few. But the New York Rangers have only had 5 Vezina Trophy winning goalies.
Those five men are, in order of winning, Dave Kerr, Eddie Giacomin and Gilles Villemure, John Vanbiesbrouck, and Henrik Lundqvist. They played in different eras, played with different styles, but all led the New York Rangers into the playoffs.
1940
Before Islander fans taunted Ranger Nation with this chant, 1940 stood out for not only a great year for the team, but also goalie Dave Kerr. In fact, his tenth year in the NHL turned into his best ever. Kerr played every game that season, which in 1940, was forty-eight. He finished with 27 victories, 11 losses and 10 ties. Kerr surrendered only seventy-seven goals, recorded 8 SO and his GAA was 1.54.
This stat line was enough to capture the Vezina Trophy, but Kerr and the Rangers were not quite finished yet. In twelve playoff games, Kerr won 8 (3 of which were SO) and lost 4. His GAA was 1.56, as he only let 20 shots past him, as the Blueshirts took home Lord Stanley’s Cup for the third time .
Ker started his career with the Montreal Maroons, where he played 3 years. He then finished up with 7 years for the New York Rangers. His career stats were 427 GP, 203 wins (51 were SO), 148 losses and 75 ties, with a GAA of 2.15.
The Dynamic Duo
Much like when Batman and Robin protected Gotham City from all evil-doers, Ranger Coach/GM Emile “The Cat” Francis had his own masked men of justice. Eddie Giacomin had been the number 1 goalie for the Rangers the past few seasons and had stellar regular seasons, but always seemed to fold in the playoffs. The Cat upgraded seldom used backup Gilles Villemure to share the load with Fast Eddie. The other mandate for Francis was that Gioacomin wear a mask. Eddie balked at first, but decided to try it out. The results were fantastic.
During the 1970-71 season, Giacomin’s stat line read: 45 GP; 27-10-7; 2.16 GAA; and 8 SO. Villemure countered with 34 GP, 22-8-4, a 2.30 GAA and 4 SO. The Vezina Trophy was the result of their hard work, and both men were atop the League.
Villemure played 8 seasons with the Broadway Blueshirts and his last two in Chicago with the Blackhawks. This gave him the distinction of backing up not one, but 2 Hall of Fame goaltenders; Eddie Giacomin and Tony Esposito. Giles career numbers are 205 GP, 100-64-29, with a GAA of 2.81 and 13 SO.
Giacomin played 11 seasons with the Rangers and his last 3 with the Red Wings of Detroit. His stats were 609 GP, 289-209-96, with a GAA of 2.82 and 54 SO. His number 1 hangs from the rafters of Madison Square Garden and both his name and Gilles are etched forever on the Vezina Trophy.
A Child Shall Lead Them
John Vanbiesbrouck made his NHL debut with the Rangers at the tender age of 18, and by the time he was 21, he was winning the Vezina Trophy. That same year, the man known as “Beezer” lead the New York Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadians, losing in 5 games.
That however, did not take anything away from what an exceptional season John had. Playing in 61 games, he posted a record of 31-21-5, with a GAA of 3.32, a SV% of .887 with 3 SO. This was enough for him to win the Vezina in but his 2nd full season in the League.
Vanbiesbrouck would play for 5 teams over a twenty year career and these are his career stats: 882 GP; 374-346-119; a SV% of .899, a GAA of 2.98, with 40 SO. Although he played with such rivals as Florida, Philadelphia, the Islanders and the Devils; “Beezer” is still remembered and loved by the Ranger faithful.
A King is Crowned
As the 2000 NHL Entry Draft entered the 7th round, when most selections are afterthoughts, the New York Rangers took a teen aged goalie from Sweden. Thus Henrik Lundqvist entered the League as the 205th overall pick without any fanfare at all.
But in less then 5 years, Henrik was thrust into the starting goalie role and the rest as they say has been history. And what a history it has been. King Henrik has become one of the elite goalies in not only the NHL, but the world as well, as he lead Sweden to an Olympic Gold Medal.
In 2012 Hank had a season for the ages, as his record was 39-18-5 and his GAA was 1.97. Added to that was a SV% of .930 and 8 shutouts. It was no wonder that Lundqvist took home the Vezina Trophy that season.
Hank parlayed this great regular season into a great run in the playoffs, as the Rangers took the Senators and Caps in 7 each, until falling short of the Finals with an Eastern Conference Finals loss to the hated New Jersey Devils. Though it was a disappointing end to the season, it was one that exceeded all expectations.
In a career spent entirely with the New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist has played in 701 games, and has a record of 383-235-73. He has a GAA of 2.29, a SV% of .920 and 60 Shutouts. And he is not finished yet, as he stopped 40 of 42 shots against the Flyers in Philly the Friday after Thanksgiving.
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Five goalies, four Vezina Trophies and a lifetime worth of memories from the New York Rangers.