In hockey, a hot goalie can be unstoppable. One save can change a game, a series, or even win a championship. This article dives into the greatest goalies ever to guard the net.
Old-School Legends
These goalies helped build the position. Their style and results still matter today.
Terry Sawchuk
Sawchuk played in the 1940s–1960s and was one of the first people many hockey fans thought of as “the best.” He finished his career with 103 regular-season shutouts, a mark that stood for decades until Martin Brodeur passed it.
Sawchuk won multiple Vezina Trophies and is a four-time Stanley Cup champion, three with the Detroit Red Wings (1952, 1954, 1955) and one with the Toronto Maple Leafs (1967). He is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Jacques Plante
Plante was a star in the 1950s and 1960s and is famous for making the goalie mask a regular piece of gear. He won the Vezina Trophy many times and helped the Montreal Canadiens win Cup titles.
Plante also changed how goalies played the puck and how they thought about equipment.
Glenn Hall
Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” Hall posted a record streak of 502 consecutive regular-season games started, a streak that is basically unbreakable in the modern game. He won the Vezina Trophy three times under the old rules and was a big reason the teams he played for could count on steady, tough goaltending every night.
Georges Vézina
The Vezina Trophy is named after Vézina. He was an early superstar for the Montreal Canadiens and set the tone for how the position was respected. The trophy that honors the NHL’s best goalie each year keeps his name in the game.
The 1970s–1990s Game-Changers
These netminders brought new styles, big numbers, and big trophies.
Ken Dryden
Dryden’s NHL career was short but brilliant. He starred for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s and won six Stanley Cups. Dryden combined excellent playoff numbers with smart, calm play. He’s also known for his book and his thoughtful approach to the position.
Tony Esposito
One of the greats for the Chicago Blackhawks, Esposito’s rookie season produced an eye-popping 15 shutouts, still one of the single-season standouts for a goalie. He won multiple Vezina Trophies and helped make the Blackhawks a tougher team to play against.
Grant Fuhr
Fuhr was a cornerstone of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty in the 1980s. He backed up one of the highest-scoring teams in NHL history and helped the Oilers win five Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1990. Fuhr’s speed, poise, and ability to make big saves in tight games made him a key part of that dynasty.
Ed Belfour
“Eddie the Eagle” rose from an undrafted player to a Hall of Famer. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, multiple Vezina and Jennings awards, and he backstopped the Dallas Stars to a Stanley Cup in 1999. Belfour combined a fiery personality with elite play.
Modern Greats (1990s–2010s)
These keepers mixed big regular-season numbers with playoff success and awards.
Patrick Roy
Roy is one of the defining modern goalies. He won four Stanley Cups (two with Montreal and two with Colorado) and is the only player to win the playoff MVP (Conn Smythe Trophy) three times.
Roy also built a reputation as the goalie who kept his team alive in the biggest moments and who popularized the modern butterfly style of goaltending. He holds the NHL record for most career playoff wins by a goaltender.
Martin Brodeur
Brodeur sits at the top of many official NHL record lists. He is the NHL’s all-time leader in regular-season wins and shutouts, and he won three Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils. Brodeur combined longevity with consistently elite play and was a mainstay for two decades.
Dominik Hašek
“The Dominator” was one of the most unusual and effective goalies ever. He won six Vezina Trophies (the most under the Vezina’s modern voting system) and is the only goalie to win the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) twice.
Hasek also starred for the Czech national team, helping them to Olympic gold in Nagano in 1998. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings, the starter in 2002 and a member of the 2008 Cup team. His athletic, unorthodox style made him incredibly hard to score on in his prime.
Henrik Lundqvist & Carey Price
Lundqvist and Price both belong on modern “greatest” lists. Lundqvist had long runs of elite play for the New York Rangers and was a Vezina winner and fan favorite; Price won both the Hart and Vezina in 2014–15 and put up outstanding numbers for Montreal. Both men combined high save percentage seasons with strong leadership and big-game moments.
How We Judge a Goalie (Short Checklist)
No single stat tells the whole story. Here are the key things writers and teams look at:
- Wins & Shutouts — classic counting stats that show results over time.
- Save Percentage (SV%) & Goals-Against Average (GAA) — show how well a goalie handles the shots he faces.
- Big-game awards — Vezina (best goalie), Hart (MVP), Conn Smythe (playoff MVP).
- Playoff performance & Stanley Cups — teams win titles; goalies who shine in the playoffs earn extra credit.
- Era & team context — low-scoring eras make numbers look different than high-scoring eras.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is the single greatest NHL goalie ever?
A: There is no single answer. Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, and Dominik Hašek appear at or near the top of most expert lists. Roy is unmatched for playoff performance and Conn Smythe wins; Brodeur holds the major counting records (wins, shutouts); Hasek’s award haul and Olympic success show another type of dominance.
Q: Are wins the best way to judge a goalie?
A: Wins matter, but they depend on the whole team. Save percentage, GAA, and era-adjusted measures help show how much a goalie did by himself. Teams and analysts usually look at several stats together.
Q: Is the Vezina the same as the old award for fewest goals allowed?
A: No. Long ago, the Vezina went to the goalie(s) on the team allowing the fewest goals. Since the early 1980s, the Vezina has been a voted award for the league’s best goalie; the William M. Jennings Trophy now honors the fewest team goals.
Q: Which goalies changed how the position is played?
A: Jacques Plante (mask and puck handling), Glenn Hall (butterfly and ironman toughness), Patrick Roy (modern butterfly and playoff calm), and Dominik Hašek (unorthodox athletic style) all changed how goalies play. Their influence still shows in today’s netminders.
Conclusion
- Great goaltenders come in many shapes and styles.
- Some stood out with records and long careers, like Martin Brodeur.
- Some are remembered for playoff greatness, like Patrick Roy.
- Some changed how the job is done, like Jacques Plante and Dominik Hašek.
- When you read lists of the “greatest,” check what the writer values, records, awards, playoff wins, or influence on the game.
- Every goalie highlighted here earned a place in the Hall of Fame or in team history by changing games and winning at the highest level.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
