The voting was a mere formality.
Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby won the Vezina Trophy on Wednesday night. The trophy is annually awarded to the best goaltender in the league as voted on by NHL general mangers.
Holtby is the third Capital to win the trophy, joining Jim Carey (1995-96) and Olie Kolzig (1999-00). His 48 wins tied Martin Brodeur’s record, but he only needed 12 fewer games to get there. Holtby was fifth last season in goals against average and tied for seventh in save percentage.
The 26-year-old received 26 first-place votes and 140 total points in the voting. Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop was second, with two first-place votes and 51 points.
Holtby’s 48 wins are also the Capitals’ franchise record for wins in a season, breaking the previous record (41) set by himself in 2015 and Olie Kolzig in 1999-00. The Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, native posted a 22-game point streak from Nov. 12 to Jan. 14 (20-0-2), marking the second-longest point streak by a goaltender in franchise history and only the second point streak of 22 or more games in the NHL in the last 20 seasons.
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