Goaltending is the most important and interesting position in hockey. Without a decent goalie who can handle pressure, a team is going to go nowhere fast. It has also produced some interesting people.
The NHL season has been paused since March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, but the weekly Super 16 rolls on in a revamped form, looking at the history of the game. To create this Super 16, each of the 14 participating NHL.com staff members put together his or her version of what it should look like. The goalie picked first was given 16 points, second got 15, third 14 and so on down to No. 1.
Here is a look at some of the best goalies in NHL history:
15 Best Goalies in NHL History (Ranked)
Top Goalies of All Time
1. Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur was ranked first by 11 of 14 participating NHL.com staff members, good enough to land at No. 1. Brodeur, the longtime goalie for the New Jersey Devils, has the most wins (691), shutouts (125), games (1,266) and saves (28,928) in NHL history. He had a 2.24 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in his NHL career, which ended with seven games for the St. Louis Blues in 2014-15, the only time he played for a team other than the Devils.
He is a three-time Stanley Cup champion (1995, 2000, 2003), was voted winner of the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1994 and of the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL four times (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008), and won Olympic gold with Canada twice (2002, 2010). Brodeur was selected for the First NHL All-Star Team three times (2003, 2004, 2007) and the Second NHL All-Star Team four times (1997, 1998, 2006, 2008). He went 113-91 with a 2.02 GAA, a .919 save percentage and an NHL-record 24 shutouts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Read also: Comprehensive Review: Men's Swim Goggles
2. Patrick Roy
Roy, who played for the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche, is second in NHL history with 551 wins and third with 1,029 games. He had a 2.54 GAA, a .910 save percentage and 66 shutouts in his NHL career. He is first in NHL playoff history with 151 wins and 247 games, when he had a 2.30 GAA, a .918 save percentage and 23 shutouts. He won the Stanley Cup four times, twice with Montreal (1986, 1993) and twice with Colorado (1996, 2001), and was voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1986, 1993 and 2001.
3. Dominik Hasek
Hasek was voted winner of the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP twice (1997, 1998) and of the Vezina Trophy six times, all from 1994-2001. He had 389 wins, a 2.20 GAA, a .922 save percentage and 81 shutouts in 735 games for the Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks. He was on the First NHL All-Star Team six times (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001). He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Detroit Red Wings (2002, 2008). He was 65-49 with a 2.02 GAA, a .925 save percentage and 14 shutouts in the NHL playoffs.
4. Ken Dryden
Dryden played for the Canadiens from 1970-79 and won the Stanley Cup six times (1971, 1973, 1976-79), the Vezina Trophy five times (1973, 1976-79), the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1971 and the Calder Trophy in 1972. He was named to the First NHL All-Star Team in 1973 and from 1976-79 (Second NHL All-Star Team in 1972). His 258 wins were second during the 10 NHL seasons from 1970-79 behind Tony Esposito's 273, but Dryden did not play in 1973-74. He had a 2.24 GAA, a .921 save percentage and 46 shutouts in 397 games.
5. Tony Esposito
Esposito was a three-time Vezina Trophy winner (1970, 1972 and 1974) with Chicago. He won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1969 and the Calder Trophy the following season, his first of 15 with the Black Hawks. Esposito had a hybrid style and was one of the first goalies to play the butterfly style. Along with Ken Dryden, Esposito played for the famous 1972 Summit Series Canadian squad. His 15 shutouts in 1969-70 is still a modern day record for one season.
Other Notable Goalies
- Grant Fuhr: Won the Stanley Cup five times with the Edmonton Oilers from 1984-90 and the Vezina Trophy in 1988. His 403 wins in 868 games are 12th in NHL history, and he is third with 92 postseason victories.
- Bernie Parent: Helped the Philadelphia Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy each year. He also won the Vezina for the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons. Parent finished his NHL career with 271 wins, a 2.55 GAA, a .915 save percentage and 54 shutouts.
- Ed Belfour: Fourth in NHL history in regular-season wins (484) and tied with Billy Smith for fourth in playoff victories (88). He won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999.
- Billy Smith: The goalie during the New York Islanders' dynasty in the early 1980s. He helped them to four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980-83, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1983.
- Henrik Lundqvist: Sixth in NHL history with 459 wins, second most in the League since 2005-06 behind Marc-Andre Fleury's 462. He has a 2.43 GAA, a .918 save percentage and 64 shutouts in 887 games, the most in the League since 2005-06. He is second in playoff wins (61) and games (128) in that span behind Fleury (78, 142). He has a 2.28 GAA and .922 save percentage in his NHL postseason career.
- Roberto Luongo: Third in NHL history in wins (489) behind Brodeur and Roy, and he is second in games (1,044) behind Brodeur. He had a 2.52 GAA, a .919 save percentage and 77 shutouts. Luongo never won the Stanley Cup, but he got to Game 7 of the Cup Final in 2011 with the Vancouver Canucks against the Boston Bruins.
- Marc-Andre Fleury: A three-time Stanley Cup champion (2009, 2016, 2017), all with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has reached the Stanley Cup Final five times, including with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018, capping their inaugural season. He is fifth in NHL history in regular-season wins (466), and the 78 postseason wins are seventh.
- Carey Price: Voted as the best goalie in the NHL in a player poll conducted by the NHL Players' Association this year. He received 41.55 percent of the vote from 515 players. Next closest was Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (17.09 percent). Price has 348 wins, a 2.49 GAA, a .917 save percentage and 48 shutouts in 682 NHL games, all with the Canadiens. He won the Hart and Vezina trophies in 2015 after he went 44-16-6 with a 1.96 GAA and .933 save percentage.
- Curtis Joseph: Seventh in NHL history with 454 wins, having been passed by Lundqvist and Fleury this season, and with 133 playoff games. He never won the Stanley Cup or a major individual NHL award, but he was known for his longevity. His best years came with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1998-2002, when he went 133-88-27 with a 2.43 GAA, a .912 save percentage and 17 shutouts.
- Rogie Vachon: Had 353 wins, including 51 shutouts, in 795 games with the Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Red Wings and Bruins. He won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1968, 1969 and 1971. He won the Canada Cup with Canada in 1976, when he was named team MVP.
- Tim Thomas: Won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with the Bruins in 2011, when he won the Vezina for the second time (also 2009).
Comparison Table
| Goalie | Wins | Shutouts | Stanley Cups | Vezina Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Brodeur | 691 | 125 | 3 | 4 |
| Patrick Roy | 551 | 66 | 4 | 3 |
| Dominik Hasek | 389 | 81 | 2 | 6 |
| Ken Dryden | 258 | 46 | 6 | 5 |
| Tony Esposito | 423 | 76 | 1 | 3 |
Read also: Ultimate Hockey Audio Guide
Read also: Ski Goggle Clarity and Comfort