FanHouse VezinaTrophy

Unlike the cut-and-dry Lidstrom Norris Trophy race, the Vezina race, for the NHL's top netminder, is much more interesting at the half-way point. Looking at the top of the stats, we see that leader board is clogged like a gas station's toilet.

Roberto Luongo (who pwned Crosby last month, if you'll remember) should definitely be considered the #1 goaltender in the NHL right now. Besides the fact that he just continues to make so many saves, as The Puck Stops Here notes, he also has the largest workload out of the top performers. Over the course of a season, being able to 'bring it' night in and night out is extremely valuable, and means that a team doesn't have to rely on their backup goaltenders nearly as much.

Name	Team	GP	MIN	W	L	OTL	SV%	SO
C.Osgood	DET	23	1356	19	2	1	0.932	2
T. Thomas	BOS	27	1608	13	9	3	0.931	1
R. Luongo	VAN	34	2014	19	12	3	0.930	6
P. Leclaire	COB	28	1557	13	8	3	0.928	7
C. Huet	MON	22	1335	11	6	5	0.926	1

Chris Osgood continues to astound with what can't be considered but anything than a cosmic outlier. One would have to think that he'll be coming down to Earth any day, once his contract with Satan (not Miroslav, mind you) expires. Osgood also gets a few demerits for playing behind the elite team in the NHL and facing so few shots every night.

The race for second place is then between young Pascal Leclaire and old man Tim Thomas. Both goalies have done an amazing job carrying rather poor teams to competitive levels. If shutouts are your thing, Leclaire already have seven this season, and may break double digits. The league's GMs, who vote on the award, seem to love shiny shutouts. Thus, I'd rank Luongo first, Leclaire second, and Thomas third.

The Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's top goaltender as voted on by the General Managers (and not the sportswriters) has basically boiled down to a 2-goalie race heading into the final weekend.

While there are a handful of fine goaltenders, Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo stand head and shoulder pads above the rest due to the fact that they've played exceptionally well while appearing in almost every one of their team's games this season. It will be tough for the league's GM's to make a final decision as both goalies are quite close together statistically.

Roberto Luongo (75GP 46-22-6, 2.28GAA, 92.1 SV% and 5 shutouts)

Martin Brodeur (78GP 48-23-7, 2.18GAA, 92.2SV% and 12 shutouts)

After a shaky start, Luongo has almost single-handedly pulled the Canucks from a team fighting for the playoffs to a team one win away from winning the Northwest Division. There has been a lot of talk here on the West Coast about Luongo's MVP chances, and he might get more marks for helping to rescue a team than Brodeur, who has played on a good team for many years.

Luongo's other advantage is that he's faced more shots-per-game than Martin Brodeur (28.97 to 27.87) and has been the busier of the two goalies in that regard.

Still, Martin Brodeur does have the wins record*, more games played, 12 shutouts, and the slight edge overall when you compare the stats. Unlike past seasons, where Brodeur benefitted greatly from a strong team in front of him, racking up wins despite less-than-steller save percentages, Marty has obviously been the best player on his team, and has had his best season ever. When the Devils needed him the most, Brodeur was there.

In the end, we will have one deserving winner, regardless of who the GM's choose.