The NHL has announced that the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck will take home both the 2025 Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender and the 2025 Hart Trophy as league MVP.
Hellebuyck beats out Los Angeles’ Darcy Kuemper and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Vezina award. This marks his third time winning the trophy. For the Hart, he finishes ahead of forwards Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) and Nikita Kucherov (Lightning). He becomes the first goalie since Carey Price in 2014-15 to win both awards.
Hellebuyck posted career-bests across the board this season, with a 2.00 goals-against-average, .925 save percentage, and 47 wins. He led the NHL in all three statistics among goaltenders with at least 35 games played.
Hellebuyck was at his home when he discovered he had won the Vezina. Surrounded by family and teammate Eric Comrie, the Hart Trophy was then brought out as an extra surprise.
“That moment was like putting a little cherry on top… I actually had no idea what this trophy looked like. Looking back, I’ll probably picture this day as one of the greatest of my career,” he said.
Hellebuyck had a monumental season, highlighted by posting the highest win percentage in NHL history. His 47 wins in 63 games equal out to 0.746 wins-per-game, defeating the previous record 0.727 posted by Braden Holtby in 2015-16. On a grand scale, Hellebuyck’s win total ranks third all-time behind Holtby (48 wins in 66 games, 2015-16) and Martin Brodeur (48 in 78, 2006-07). Hellebuyck also tied Bernie Parent and Roberto Luongo in wins, though he managed the feat in fewer games.
Hellebuyck joins Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito, and George Hainsworth as a three-time winner. Each one of the 12 other goaltenders to win at least three Vezina Trophies went on to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame – save for four-time winner Michel Larocque, backstop of the 1979 Stanley Cup-clinching Montreal Canadiens. Hellebuyck ran away with the Vezina voting, receiving all but one first place vote. MVP voting was much closer, but Hellebuyck edged out Draisaitl 1,346 to 1,209.
Hellebuyck’s prowess has rarely been questioned. He has posted a save percentage at or north of .920 in four of his last six seasons – only interrupted by a .916 and .910 in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, respectively. Every season, except for 2021-22, was coupled by a win percentage of at least 50 percent. That’s incredible consistency for an NHL starter – a fact that has earned Hellebuyck the third-highest cap hit ($8.5MM) among NHL goaltenders. He carries that price tag on a seven-year, $59.9MM contract signed with Winnipeg in 2023. That deal will carry Hellebuyck through his age-38 season in 2030-31.
Did I imagine you posted this on Tuesday or Wednesday and removed it? I swear I saw it and thought ‘here comes the tampa fan comment saying how vaz got screwed’ but wasn’t there when I looked later that night
Don’t worry. @feel the teardrops will post his usual drivel shortly.
This was breaking news last Saturday night.
It’s hilarious how great Canadian goalies are immediately propped up to the MVP. Bob in 2017 and Igor in 2022 had better seasons but don’t play on a team TSN covers so no Hart for you
Hellebuyck is American.
He’s American but ok.
Clearly it means plays on an a Canadian NHL team not nationality
That’s not really clear, since the last “Canadian team” goalie to win the Hart was an actual Canadian, as well, and the two non-Hart winners you referenced are also non-Canadians.
Did Matt and Brady have a brother that Keith ate?
Lol. He must have a health issue. I’m thinking he’s on a steroid. Or maybe the old seefood diet haha. Def not healthy looking.
Kucherov leads the league in points two years in a row and again doesn’t win the Hart. Harsh.
The media doesn’t particularly like Kucherov. They did the same thing to Jagr in the 90s. I think it’s a Russian thing.
But Kuch had his peers vote him as “the most outstanding player” with the Ted Lindsay Award this year which in IMO has more value then the Hart Trophy which is dictated by the media voters.
Peers > Media
Jagr is from Chechia not Russia, they hate each other.
@keating – Yeah I forgot Jagr is Czech. But my point still stands as the media did the same with Jagr as they are with Kucherov.
I wish he wanted out of Winnipeg. My flyers need a #1 goalie, and we have high draft picks for the upcoming draft. so many they are falling out of our pockets.
Travesty. Goalies should not win the Hart.
But he did. Best record in the NHL. None of the competition did enough to warrant picking them over Helley. Since Mac and Kooch are basically a coin flip, you pick the goalie. Everyone wins (except you).
Helps that the Jets did better than both the Bolts and Avs these playoffs (even though sports writers will say it doesn’t affect their vote)
@Spaced-Cowboy – Dude, Nathan MacKinnon wasn’t a Hart finalist this year. It was Kuch & Leon Draisaitl as the other 2 finalists.
Great point. A hockey player should not win an award given to hockey players. Where do you come up with this stuff?
Bob’s your uncle!
Sure, if I’m starting a team with an open draft I’m taking this guy #1 lol. So many players in the league are more valuable than him.
Are you inferring that the most valuable player this season, isn’t as valuable in fantasy sports?
This is pretty shortsighted since you define the parameters for points. Draft Tkachuk in a league without PIMs ;D
No, not talking fantasy hockey. Just player value in general for this yr. Vezina for sure, but Hart no way.
Highest winning percentage in NHL history?
Yeah, right. Try Tiny Thompson for the Bruins in 1930, 38-5-1 for .875. “History” didn’t begin in the cap era.
Have you not heard, Nha? The next Golden era is now