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TWO OF THE STRONGEST GOALIES IN THE NHL have red, white and blue roots. Thatcher Demko and Connor Hellebuyck, along with Sergei Bobrovsky, were named finalists for the Vezina Trophy. The winner of the award is given annually to the goal- ie voted the best at his position by NHL general managers. Hellebuyck went 37-19-4 with a 2.39 GAA, .921 save percentage and five shutouts in 60 games for the Winnipeg Jets. He ranked sec- ond in wins, second in save percentage and fourth in goals-against average, and made most saves (1,656) among American goal- tenders and was second overall in the league. H e l l e b u y c k , a C o m m e r c e , M i c h i g a n , native, won the William M. Jennings Trophy, presented annually to the goalies who play a minimum of 25 games for the team allowing the fewest goals during the regular season. Winnipeg allowed an NHL-low 199 goals, including shootout-deciding goals (2.43 per game) and finished second in the Central Division (52-24-6). A four-time finalist, Hellebuyck won the Vezina in 2019-20, was runner-up in 2017-18 and finished third last season. D e m k o ( 3 5 -14 - 2 , 2 .4 5 G A A , . 9 1 8 s a v e percentage, five shutouts in 51 games) fin- ished tied for sixth in wins and fifth in goals- against average, and was leading the NHL in wins when he sustained a knee injury on March 9 that caused him to miss 14 games. A first-time finalist, he helped the Canucks (50-23-9) win the Pacific Division, their first division title in 10 years, and finish with 109 points, 26 more than in 2022-23. Vancouver was tied for fifth in goals-against per game this season (2.70). The San Diego, California, native helped Vancouver defeat Nashville in Game 1 of the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 22 saves, but he has been out of competition since then because of an undisclosed injury. P PHOTOS BY Getty Images Vezina Worthy B ET W E E N T H E P I P ES P R E S E N T E D B Y MAY 2024 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 17 CONNOR HELLEBUYCK THATCHER DEMKO LAST FIVE AMERICAN-BORN VEZINA WINNERS Connor Hellebuyck (2020) Tim Thomas (2011, 2009) Ryan Miller (2010) Jim Carey (1996) The 2024 winner of the Vezina Trophy will be announced on June 27. Connor Hellebuyck and Thatcher Demko named Vezina Trophy Finalists