Vezina Trophy: Who Should Win?

         The three Vezina Trophy candidates for best goalie are Braden Holtby 

(Washington Capitals), Johnathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings), and Ben Bishop (Tampa Bay Lightning). But, out of these three, who would you pick to win? While these three candidates are certainly top-notch goalies who no doubt deserve to be considered, I still think one stands above the other: Braden Holtby. Before you jump to any conclusions, let me explain my reasoning for my decision.

         First of all, I’m not a fan of any of these teams, but I strongly believe Holtby should win the Vezina simply because of his record. Holtby’s 48-9-7 regular season record tied Martin Brodeur’s record for most wins in a season (48) while playing 12 fewer games. Sure, he plays for the best team in the league, but on the rare occurrence that the Capitals struggle to score, he can be counted on to make saves.

         Holtby also has a few traits that I feel make an elite goalie. He’s very calm in net, which is quite a large advantage for today’s goaltenders. You can often spot a struggling goalie simply by his (or her) movement and positioning. Nervous goalies are often out of position and make even the most routine saves look tough. Holtby, I noticed, always seems to be relaxed because he’s always in the right spot to make saves, and rarely gives up second chances.

         Athleticism is also a trait elite goalies possess. Without athleticism, you won’t get very far as a goalie. In order to make saves and avoid injury, your body must be in good enough shape to handle the physical strain. Holtby is very athletic, allowing him to make any kind of save at any time in a game. He’s also very durable.

         Lastly, if any goalie hopes to last this long and do this well in the marathon of the regular season, they need to stay confident in their abilities. For goalies, confidence is often the issue that most affects their performance. If pucks consistently get by you, you will become frustrated and quickly lose your confidence. The lower a goalie’s confidence, the more pucks will get through, which will only make it worse. Goalies need mental endurance as well as physical endurance. Lacking one or the other usually leads to trouble.

         Holtby, along with the two other Vezina candidates, have all these elite goalie traits. However, for me, the big thing that sets Holtby apart from the other two is his growth into an elite goalie. I would consider Holtby to be the most improved goalie from last year. This improvement helped him become elite in my book. Not only did his skill improve, but he had a historic season that I would think captured the entire hockey world’s attention. One last thing, I think Holtby embodies the goaltending position quite well. This is another big reason why he should win the Vezina. In my opinion, there’s got to be something wrong if he doesn’t win.