Because Sergei BOBROVSKY won the Vezina Trophy for the 2013 Season! As a Blue Jackets fan, and a huge fan of number 72, I was absolutely THRILLED when I heard the news. How thrilled? Let’s just say I pulled to the side of the highway on my way back to Columbus, got out of my car, and stared dancing and screaming with joy. That is how thrilled I was! (True Story)

Instead of this being a post of me straight-up fangirling over Bobbo, I will provide my opinion and analysis of the selection. First, we need to take a look at all three Vezina Finalists: Sharks’ Antti Niemi, Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist, and Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky.

Niemi had what I like to call a “quietly stellar” season. His performances were not full of highlight reel saves, despite his flashy and unique style.

Niemi’s stats alone warranted his name on the list of the top three in the league. Nemo finished the regular season with a 2.16 GAA, .924 Sv%, and 4 shutouts in 43 games. His numbers placed him 7^th in GAA among goaltenders with at least 25 games played, and 6^th in Sv% by the same metrics. Statistically speaking, however, Niemi was the weakest of the three candidates. Personally speaking, I do not use statistics as the foundation for accolades, though they do help paint a picture of a goaltender’s skill. Niemi received his Vezina nod due to his ability to steal games, play consistently, and shoulder a great deal of the game load for the Sharks, helping them secure a playoff spot yet again.

King Henrik is known for his athletic ability and unbelievable saves. Better yet, he is known for keeping the perennially offensively stagnant Rangers in most games.

He is flashy, he is exciting, and sometimes irritating. Lundqvist’s stats are just a hair ahead of Niemi, as he posted a 2.05 GAA and .926 Sv% in the regular season. Among goaltenders who played a minimum of 25 games, Lundqvist finished 4^th in both GAA and Sv%. In my opinion, Henrik’s performance this regular season was typical for the 2011-2012 Vezina winner: solid, consistent-ish, and markedly better than a majority of his team. While I am unaware of the final tally of votes for the Vezina, I have a feeling it was a tight race between Lundqvist and Bobrovsky.

Before I discuss Bobrovsky, I should take a moment to explain why Craig Anderson, an early favorite for the award of NHL’s top netminder, was not a finalist. Simply put, Anderson did not play enough games.

In a 48 game season, Anderson only managed to play in 24 games, largely due to injury. It is almost unheard of for a goaltender to receive a Vezina nod after playing only about 50% of the season. Look at 2011-2012 Jennings Trophy winners Halak and Elliott; the two goaltenders 46 and 38 games respectively in an 82 game season. Their stats and performances would have likely earned them a nod for the Vezina last year had they played 55+ games. Basically, half a season, no matter how short that season may be, is not enough of a body of work for a goaltender to be in the running for the Vezina.

Now to Bobrovsky. The CBJ tender posted an impressive 2.00 GAA and .932 Sv% and 4 shutouts in 38 games (the first 4 shutouts of his NHL career). Taking a look at the stats for goaltenders who played a minimum of 25 games this season, Bobrovsky tops the list in Sv%, and is beaten only by Corey Crawford on the GAA leader board. Many may say that Bobrovsky (21-11-6) single-handedly helped CBJ battle beyond the final buzzer of the season to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2008-2009.

While this is clearly an arguable statement, I do believe that Bobrovsky’s performances and statistics are not indicative of a 9^th place team’s goaltender. Like NYR, the Blue Jackets had more than their fair share of scoring woes this season. Bobrovsky bailed them out game after game, and stole a few wins and a few OT points for the Jackets.

Aside from being the number one goaltender for a team that failed to make the post-season (an exceptionally rare identifier), Bobrovsky is also the first Russian-born winner of the Vezina Trophy.

Bobrovsky’s contract talks have stagnated with the Blue Jackets. A Vezina award should put more pressure on the Jackets to re-sign him, and it is a key tool for his agent in negotiations. Bobrovsky is a Restricted Free Agent.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, should they re-sign Bobrovsky, are heading in a positive direction. John Davidson and Jarmo Kekäläinen are working their magic and building an impressive core of players who seem to buy into systems and philosophies of head coach Todd Richards. Bobrovsky is a cog in the CBJ machine, and an important one at that. I have always been an advocate of building a team from the net out, and a Vezina winner between the pipes for CBJ will help the team develop into not only a playoff contender, but perhaps even Stanley Cup Champions.

Number 72 on the roster, number 1 in your hearts!

Sitting here while gearing up for the NHL All-Star Weekend, a series of events that I have always enjoyed but have grown fonder of in light of last year’s changes, I find myself lost in reflection of the Flyers’ season thus far. 

The first 48 games contributed to a dramatic storyline that saw the hardship we hoped would be avoided this year roar up from many seasons of continuous heartache. While the emergence of a solid rookie class has surprised all in Philly, the loss of Chris Pronger for the season (and career?), the constant revolving door of concussions and other injuries, and the disappointment of Ilya Bryzgalov between the pipes are all reasons to be concerned. 

Granted, the rookies have filled in nicely and, while some would argue that the Flyers haven’t missed a beat with the injuries, I would rather say that they held up quite nicely and exceeded expectations (with some faltering, as is to be expected).

No, I don’t look at the defense and scream “get back!” this year, and getting the puck on net is, thankfully, not an issue.  Should a puck be fired at our own net, however, I cover my eyes like I’m 8 and I just walked in on my parents having sex. This year, I once again turn to the goalie carousel emerging before the All-Star break and leading us into the second “half” of the season. 

Signed to a $51 million dollar, 9-year contract in the off-season, the NHL’s #1 free agent goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, has played, at best, like Kris Humphries in a room of Kardashians… slow, dumb, and repeatedly confused. I’ve had it, and I’m here to make my stand. Let’s proceed.

The fact that Bryzbee (his level of play changes like the wind…get it? Frisbee?…oh boy) arrived in Philadelphia, one of the largest NHL markets and most sports-crazed cities in North America from the little blip on the sports map that is Phoenix, certainly makes an impact.

The shock and nervousness associated with playing in front of a raucous, diehard fan base must be overwhelming for any player.  Maybe for about two or three games. After the initial butterflies are expelled, the talent should shine through. Right? Bueller?

To date, we as fans have seen nothing more than consistently inconsistent play comparable to Michael Phelps simply forgetting how to swim this summer.  He flops around worse than a fish out of water. His reaction time is slower than the captain of that Italian cruise ship that crashed last week.

His post-game interviews are cryptic puzzles of nonsense. He’s terrible. We can no longer wait for him to become the number one goalie we all thought he would be. In 32 games played, Bryzbee has an 18-10-4 record with a GAA (Goals Against Average) of 2.99 and a SV% (Save Percentage) of .895.

His backup, Sergei Bobrovsky (affectionately nicknamed Bob) has an 11-4-1 record with a GAA of 2.42 and a SV% of .919. On Tuesday, he recorded the Flyers’ first shoot out win of the season and is riding high after winning three of his last four starts.  The hot hand, clearly, belongs to Bob. The team plays better in front of him, the fans don’t have random heart attacks when the  opposing team enters the zone, and Bob is playing like a man with nothing to lose because, well, he has nothing to lose.

As we approach the home stretch of the season, there has been more than enough time to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a team of randoms that came together in the offseason and have put together one hell of a season thus far.

A lot of that has to do with Peter Laviolette who, I believe, should be a front-runner for the Jack Adams Coach of the Year Award (a whole different topic for a later time). With four lines of offensive dominance and a young, consistent defense led by a veteran core, the attention turns to the disappointment in net.

Ed Snider clearly wanted to get the goalie we in Philly have been crying for since the days of Ron Hextall. The move in the summer to secure Bryzbee was a good one, in theory, but not all risks pay off. It’s time to lose the baggage, hand over the reins, and put the last piece of the puzzle together before we get any closer to the playoffs. Bench Bryzgalov.

All we wanted to see from him was a little fight to show that somewhere inside that loopy mind of his, a top-notch goalie exists. On Sunday vs. Boston, we saw Bryzbee throw some punches after getting steamrolled in the net. The fight, I believe, came too little, too late.

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