Fansided

March Madness bracket: Who’s the greatest NHL goalie of all time?

By Dave Stevenson

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 27: NHL Top 100 players Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, Brian Leetch, Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Patrik Roy and Chris Chelios pose for a portrait at the Microsoft Theater as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend on January 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 27: NHL Top 100 players Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, Brian Leetch, Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Patrik Roy and Chris Chelios pose for a portrait at the Microsoft Theater as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend on January 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 9
Next
13 Apr 2000: Goalie Ed Belfour #20 of the Dallas Stars makes a save on the Edmonton Oilers in the first period of Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. Eddie “The Eagle” got the 3-0 shutout. Mandatory Credit: Ronald Martinez/ Allsport. Mandatory Credit: Ronald Martinez/ALLSPORT
13 Apr 2000: Goalie Ed Belfour #20 of the Dallas Stars makes a save on the Edmonton Oilers in the first period of Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. Eddie “The Eagle” got the 3-0 shutout. Mandatory Credit: Ronald Martinez/ Allsport. Mandatory Credit: Ronald Martinez/ALLSPORT /

Toskala Region

Roy wins this one hands down as well. But Barrasso keeps it close. The Pittsburgh Penguins needed him to allow fewer goals than they scored, which at times, was easy. But isn’t that the job of a goalie? And Barrasso did his thing during an offensive era. He’s a bit underrated and should get more serious consideration for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

An interesting showdown here. Two of the best NHL goalies ever to not win a Stanley Cup. Neither of those unfortunate accolades is the fault of the respective netminder. Esposito gets the nod here since he has three Vezina Trophies. Meanwhile, the play by play announcer’s nightmare Vanbiesbrouck only got one.

Everyone loves Bobrovsky (OK maybe not Flyers fans). But Vezina is the namesake for the best goalie in the league. He could have accomplished more in his career had his career not been cut short by sickness. Vezina gets the win here.

As a huge fan of hockey history, this is by far the closest matchup of the Toskala region. Maybe the entire tournament. They’re so evenly matched. Both have two Vezinas on their resume. But Broda wins by the slimmest of margins. Turk won five Stanley Cups while Gump won four.

McAuley Region

Heck of a matchup here. Two goalies who consistently made their respective NHL teams better. Hasek wins this comfortably. However, this says way more about how dominant The Dominator was than about Vachon. Every Kings fan should be thankful for him and the great Marcel Dionne. They laid the foundation for Gretzky.

Two underrated legends square off here. Ed Belfour had the misfortune of playing during the worst possible time for a goalie to be noticed. Belfour’s prime coincided directly with Roy’s and Hasek’s. Can’t be much more unlucky than that. Had Rayner played on, say, the Canadiens or Maple Leafs, his career likely changes for the better. But sadly, he played for some bad Rangers teams who he made a lot better. Rayner does, however, get the huge upset win here.

Roberto Luongo is likely going to go down in history as the Dan Marino of NHL goalies. He’ll likely never win a Stanley Cup. 2011 was his best chance and sadly, Luongo and the Canucks choked. Harry Lumley was an excellent goalie for the Red Wings. Even though Luongo doesn’t have the resume of Lumley as far as awards, his consistency is incredible. He gets the win primarily because he has defied age. Age gets to goalies, but it can’t quite catch up to Luongo.

Two of the only NHL goalies to win a Hart Trophy are in this one. Carey Price wins in a landslide. Theodore’s career is known solely for his one excellent season. Price has a much larger track record of success.

Home/NHL