The Boston Bruins enjoyed the greatest statistical regular season ever in 2022–2023; nonetheless, their goaltending tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman had exceptional seasons that rank among the top individual performances in club history. In addition, Ullmark would go on to become just the sixth goalie in Bruins history to win the coveted Vezina Trophy, with a stat line that read 40-6-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average (GAA) and.938 save percentage (SV%).
The Boston Bruins had the best statistical regular season in team history in 2022–2023, but their goalie combination of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark had outstanding seasons that rate among the best individual performances in club history.
In addition, a number of teams have won the Vezina Trophy consecutively, with a few teams winning several times with the same goalie. Only twice, though, have two different goalies won the award: in 1934 and 1935 for the Chicago Blackhawks, and in 1938 and 1939 for the Boston Bruins. With Ullmark as the current champion and Swayman starting 2023–24 with even better numbers than the previous year, it seems that this bear-hugging team is aiming for an unthinkable modern-day milestone.
Gardiner and Chabot of the Blackhawks trade Vezina victories.
With a 20-17-11 record at the end of the 48-game season in 1933–34, the Blackhawks finished second in the American Division with 51 points, trailing only the Detroit Red Wings (58 points). Charlie Gardiner would win his only Stanley Cup and his second Vezina Trophy in the final season of his Hall of Fame career. The Edinburgh, United Kingdom, native appeared in all 48 games and finished with a record of 20-17-11, ten shutouts, and 1.63 goals against average.
The Blackhawks did not win the American Division again in 1934–35, but they did come second in the division nonetheless with a 26–17–5 record and 57 points, one fewer than the Bruins (58) who took first place. But when Gardiner retired at age 29, Chicago brought in 34-year-old Lorne Chabot to man the crease, and in 48 games, he put up a 26-17-5 record.
Chabot won the Vezina Trophy in part because of a 1.80 GAA, even though the team did not make it past the first round and ultimately lost to the Montreal Maroons, the Stanley Cup champions. It’s interesting to note that Chabot only played in Chicago for one season yet was named an All-Star once. In the meantime, his triumph in 1935 was the first in history to see two different goalies from the same team win the prize in back-to-back seasons.
The Legendary Bruins Pair of Thompson and Brimsek Copy History
Boston was poised to win the Stanley Cup twice in three seasons by the end of the 1930s. Fortunately, hall of famers like Eddie Shore, Dit Clapper, Tiny Thompson, and Frank Brimsek guided the franchise during this time. The club would eventually win titles in 1939 and 1941, and from 1930 and 1942, Thompson and Brimsek won six Vezina Trophies between them.
Nevertheless, the pair holds a unique position in NHL history since they are the only goalies to win the trophy for the same team in consecutive seasons. Strangely enough, though, Thompson would win the trophy one last time in his career in 1938 before leaving the Bruins after only five games to play for the Red Wings the following season. That ultimately left Brimsek in charge of the crease, and he excelled in his debut season as a starter, winning the Vezina in 1939.
Thompson won the goaltender of the year award four times in his Hall of Fame career: in 1930, 1933, 1936, and 1938. Though his records were statistically higher in 1936, he participated in all 48 games in his final season (1938) with the Bruins, finishing with a 30-11-7 record and a 1.80 GAA to help the team achieve the best record in the league at the age of 34. Remarkably, he won the Vezina Trophy while leading the NHL just in wins and GAA.
Following Thompson’s departure, the Bruins turned to youngster Brimsek, 23, to take up the slack. The rookie not only won the Calder Trophy but also led Boston to their second Stanley Cup title in the same season. The Eveleth, Minnesota, native was not only the best rookie in the league but also the best goalie, appearing in 43 games and finishing with a 33-9-1 record, 10 shutouts, and a 1.56 GAA. The two-time Vezina winner would eventually advance to the Hall of Fame by winning a second championship in 1941.
Ullmark and Swayman on Their Way to Eternity with the Vezina Trophy
As previously stated, the Bruins were the dominant club in the NHL in 2022–2023; the team’s unexpected success was largely attributed to Ullmark and Swayman. Before finishing the previous season with a 40-6-1 record, Ullmark’s career stats were a pitiful 76-57-15 with a 2.69 GAA and.913 SV%.
It’s interesting to note that prior to posting a personal best of 1.89 and recording a league-leading.935 SV% in 2022–23, the native of Lugnik, Sweden, had never had a season with a GAA below 2.00. While his GAA and SV% figures rebound to career averages, he earned his first Vezina Trophy and went on to win games in 2023–24, despite the fact that many saw his heroics as a byproduct of the team’s overall success.
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Swayman also had a career year in 2022-23, going 24-6-4 in 37 games, compiling a 2.27 GAA and .920 SV%. However, after watching Ullmark take home some hardware in the offseason, Swayman returned to camp and has outplayed his partner thus far in 2023-24 with an impressive 8-1-2 record after 12 starts, with a 2.17 GAA and .930 SV%. Statistically, Swayman has only given up three or more goals in just three starts and is currently on pace to shatter his career-best four shutouts, achieved in 2022-23.
An Historical Angle
Even though the season is only 25% complete, Swayman is widely seen as one of the favorites to win the Vezina Trophy for the first time, which would be the first time the Bruins have won back-to-back games since Thompson and Brimsek over 84 years ago. Moreover, Swayman and Ullmark have the potential to become the third pair of goalies to win the trophy for the same team in back-to-back seasons. If the Bruins don’t lift the silver chalice in June, finding your name in the record book for an accomplishment unthinkable for over a century is still a very good consulting reward, even though winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate aim.
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