King Henrik ruled throughout the Swedish Elite League before putting on a show and ending a playoff drought in the Big Apple. Also, I was fortunate to meet him when the Rangers came to Vancouver, and he is probably the most attractive goalie in the league—not that it makes him any good.
Awards: Three-Time Vezina Nominee, Swedish Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion, 2006 NHL All-Rookie team
Stats: 195 GP, 104 Wins, 17 Shutouts, 2.27 GAA, .917 Save Percentage
2. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Playing in my city, Vancouver, isn't the reason why this guy is No. 2. Luongo is one of the best because of his timely saves, competitiveness, consistency, and ability to make 40 saves a night.
In Florida, Luongo adapted quickly to the abundance of shots and team dependence. He then was the guy that turned the Canucks around, after being traded for city-favourite Todd Bertuzzi. He carried the team to a Northwest Division title in his first year there and put on an astounding performance in the 2007 playoffs, before getting eliminated by the eventual champs, Anaheim.
Luongo has also won numerous World Championships, and has established himself as a top goalie on the international stage. It's a matter of time til this guy wins the Vezina.
Awards: 1999 World Junior Championships Best Goalie, 1999 World Junior Champion, 2004 NHL Second All-Star Team, Three-time all-star, 2007 Vezina Nominee, 2004 World Cup Champion, 2006 Olympian
Stats: 490 GP, 197 Wins, 38 Shutouts, 2.60 GAA, .919 Save Percentage
1. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Shocking, eh? I bet no one saw this coming.
Anyways, here's my number one guy. Three Stanley Cups and four Vezina trophies is enough to put this guy here.
What a lot of people don't recognize about this goalie is that he has missed the playoffs only once in his long and extraordinary career. He has tallied 96 shutouts, second behind Sawchuk, and he is creeping up on Patrick Roy's record for most wins.
He is the sole reason why the Devils have been one of the most successful teams in the last dozen years.
Awards: [Take a deep breath] 3 Stanley Cups, 4 Vezinas, 4 William Jennings, 2002 Olympic Gold, 2004 World Cup Champion, 1994 Calder Trophy, 11-time All-Star, 2004-05 World Champion
Stats: 968 GP, 538 Wins, 96 Shutouts, 2.20 GAA, .914 Save Percentage
Honorable Mentions:
Jose Theodore (Washington Capitals), Cam Ward (Carolina Hurricanes), Pascal Leclaire (Columbus Blue Jackets), Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins)
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