NEW YORK — Henrik Lundqvist, Jonathan Quick and Pekka Rinne have been nominated for the Vezina Trophy.
The trophy is awarded “to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position.”
Lundqvist was the foundation of the New York Rangers’ first-place finish in the Eastern Conference and best regular season since winning the Stanley Cup in 1994.
He had a career-high 39 wins in 62 appearances, becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to have 30-plus wins in his first seven seasons.
“It’s a great feeling, and I’m really proud and honoured to be with those names,” Lundqvist said Wednesday. “It’s been a year where a lot of goalies have been playing really well, so to be up there is really a great feeling. Obviously I take a lot of pride in that.”
Quick led the NHL with a club-record 10 shutouts with the Los Angeles Kings to earn his first Vezina nomination. He also was second overall with a 1.95 goals-against average and posted 35 wins despite the Kings’ offence being ranked 29th overall.
Nashville’s Rinne led the NHL in wins (43), shots faced (2,153) and saves (1,987). The Predators kept Rinne busy — he tied for first place with 73 appearances, and was second in starts (72) and minutes played (4,168.52).
None of the nominees have won the award. Rinne came close last season, finishing second to Boston’s Tim Thomas. Lundqvist finished third in voting from 2006-08.