As mentioned earlier, the NHL announced its Vezina Trophy finalists this morning -- New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist, Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne.
The nominations came as no real surprise given how well each goaltender has played this season, and what unique resumes each brings to the table: Lundqvist was the MVP of the best team in the Eastern Conference and the No. 2 squad in the NHL, Quick won 35 games and made the playoffs despite L.A. having the league’s second-worst offense and Rinne played more than any goalie in the league, leading in appearances (73) and wins (43).
Before we get to the vote, some things to consider:
-- NHL GMs vote on the Vezina, not the Professional Hockey Writers Association. This is key, because there’s a long-held belief that Western Conference goalies (see: Quick, Jonathan) fail to get proper recognition because by the time they play, most GMs are passed out in a recliner.
-- To that point: 17 of the last 20 Vezina winners have come from the Eastern Conference.
-- Snubs? Not really. This has to be one of the strongest (and most obvious) trio of finalists in recent memory. You could make the case for Phoenix’s Mike Smith or St. Louis’ Brian Elliott -- both had outstanding seasons -- but to do that you’d have to remove one of Lundqvist, Quick and/or Rinne...and that’s a tough sell.
-- None of the three finalists have won a Vezina before. This is Quick’s first-ever nomination; Rinne was a finalist for the first time last season while this is Lundqvist’s fourth time at the dance. Could be why many figure it’s his award to lose.
-- The last Rangers goalie to win a Vezina was John Vanbiesbrouck in 1985-86.
-- No King and/or Predator has ever won.
Okay, to the poll...
[polldaddy poll=6171122]