Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Bobrovsky wins the Vezina

Sergei Bobrovsky

Sergei Bobrovsky is the winner of the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best goaltender, the league announced today.

The Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist, last year’s winner, and the Sharks’ Antti Niemi were the other two finalists.

Bobrovsky finished the regular season with a 2.00 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 38 games, nearly helping the Columbus Blue Jackets, last season’s worst team, to the playoffs.

The 24-year-0ld becomes the first Russian-born winner of the Vezina.

“I am very excited to receive this award and proud to be recognized with Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Niemi, who both had great seasons and are great goaltenders,” said Bobrovsky in a team release. “I would like to thank the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, my coaches and teammates who played so hard in front of me every night and the fans who supported us because this would not be possible without them. I also want to thank my family, especially my wife, Olga, my parents, Andrei and Larissa, and sister, Julia, for all of their love and support and everyone who has helped me achieve this great honor. I work hard to try to be the best player I can be and help my team win and am very honored to receive the Vezina Trophy.”

For the Blue Jackets, the challenge now becomes re-signing Bobrovsky, a pending restricted free agent that KHL club SKA St. Petersburg has also been pursuing.

Bobrovsky was traded to the Blue Jackets from Philadelphia at last year’s draft. It was one of the last, and no doubt one of the best, moves that soon-to-be-fired Columbus general manager Scott Howson made before he was replaced.

2012-2013 Vezina Trophy Voting (by NHL general managers)

Pts. (1st-2nd-3rd)

1. Sergei Bobrovsky, CBJ 110 (17-8-1)
2. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR 55 (3-12-4)
3. Antti Niemi, S.J. 46 (6-4-4)
4. Craig Anderson, OTT 22 (3-1-4)
5. Tuukka Rask, BOS 12 (0-3-3)
6. Jimmy Howard, DET 9 (0-0-9)
7. Ray Emery, CHI 6 (1-0-1)
8. Corey Crawford, CHI 5 (0-1-2)
9. Jonas Hiller, ANA 3 (0-1-0)
10. Niklas Backstrom, MIN 1 (0-0-1)
Carey Price, MTL 1 (0-0-1)

Related: CBJ GM eager to push Bobrovsky negotiations forward