Vasilevskiy’s Excellence Endures With Second Career Vezina Win

Written By Gina Anton

Andrei Vasilevskiy thought he was heading to his vehicle outside Benchmark International Arena.

Instead, Tampa Bay police officers and a K-9 unit stopped him over suspicious activity nearby. Moments later, they handed him the 2025-26 Vezina Trophy.

The surprise was the presentation. The winner wasn't.

Every few years, new goal tending stars emerge. New names enter the conversation.Yet Vasilevskiy remains.

Seven years after winning his first Vezina Trophy, the Tampa Bay Lightning netminder captured his second after leading the NHL with 39 wins while posting a 2.31 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He received 17 first-place votes and finished comfortably ahead of finalists Ilya Sorokin and Jeremy Swayman.

The numbers earned him the award but his longevity makes it remarkable.

Vasilevskiy's six Vezina finalist appearances are matched, since NHL general managers took over voting in 1981-82, by only Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek.

That's the company he keeps now.

At 31, he also became just the sixth goaltender in NHL history with nine 30-win seasons. His active streak of nine straight campaigns with at least 30 victories trails only Brodeur's run of 12.

Goaltending is hockey's most volatile position. Careers rise quickly and fade just as fast but Vasilevskiy hasn’t just yet.

His 18-game point streak from Dec. 20 through Feb. 25 helped push Tampa Bay to a ninth consecutive playoff appearance and served as another reminder of what separates him from most of his peers.