Best Ice Hockey Goalies of All Time

The Top Ten
Dominik Hasek Dominik Hašek (born January 29, 1965) is a Czech former ice hockey goaltender. In his 16-season National Hockey League (NHL) career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the league's finest goaltenders,... read more

Unlike any goaltender before or after him, Hasek never had or needed a playing style. The Czech team in '98 didn't even bother coming close to winning gold, but he was the best player in the world in the late '90s. He almost wrote a very similar story in the '99 playoffs with Buffalo, which was only derailed because of a controversial call.

He won two Hart Trophies and six Vezinas, more than both Roy and Brodeur. He has the best career save percentage by a retired goaltender in the modern era, while still playing for teams that were nowhere near playoff-ready, until Detroit in 2002 when he won it all.

Martin Brodeur

Brodeur is the greatest goaltender of all time. Critics say the trap helped him, but they conveniently or ignorantly neglect the fact that he was one of the main key components of the trap being as successful as it was.

The Canadiens played the neutral zone trap as well when Roy played there. The difference was Brodeur's remarkable puck-handling skills. The trap forces teams to dump the puck in the neutral zone, and Brodeur would then use his stick-handling skills and make passes, immediately putting the Devils back on the attack. When Montreal played the trap, Roy was almost inept when it came to handling the puck. Therefore, he could not limit shots or scoring opportunities as Brodeur did.

Brodeur gets criticized for not facing as many shots on average per game as Roy or Hasek. However, instead of stopping shots, he was stopping the scoring/shooting chances altogether by handling the puck, simultaneously creating a scoring opportunity for his team. What more could you want in a goaltender? Brodeur literally helped his team defensively and offensively. No other goalie can say that.

Then the Brodeur rule came into effect, and now goalies can't handle the puck outside the trapezoid all because of Brodeur's dominant puck-handling skills. After the Stevens, Niedermayer, and Daneyko days, Brodeur went on to win four Vezinas and was still a force on the ice at age 40, leading his Devils to a fifth Stanley Cup appearance!

Critics want to discredit him for the teams he played for because of their defense, primarily in the '90s with Stevens, Daneyko, and Niedermayer. However, only one of them won the James Norris Trophy for best defenseman, and that was Niedermayer in 2004. Stevens was a bruiser and a force to be reckoned with physically, but to overrate him as a means to underrate Brodeur doesn't work. Lastly, Daneyko was a tough and durable guy, but again, when Brodeur detractors are at work, this guy gets lifted to a status only he dreams... more

Patrick Roy Patrick Jacques Roy is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and the former head coach and vice-president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League.

Roy could have gone to any team and won. Marty was a product of the trap system and would not have been any good on a team that didn't have such a great defense. He played in a different era than Roy with giant pads, small nets, and the two-line pass rule. If he played for the Islanders, we wouldn't be having this conversation, but Patrick would have made any team relevant. Any team.

And just to put a nice bow on all this, in the 2001 Cup Finals, Roy vs. Marty, who won again? Oh right, Roy. Enough said.

Most playoff wins and most Conn Smythes. No doubt cannot be touched. Not even by Wayne Gretzky. Even Gretzky picks Roy over Brodeur as the best of all time.

Roy has the most playoff wins, has more assists than Brodeur, and played way fewer games. Hasek does not come close in playoff wins. That is his and the Blackhawks' problem if he did not start early enough. We are not psychics to predict what would happen. We only go by facts. Roy has more accomplishments than Hasek.

Jacques Plante

When Jacques Plante was together with Bernie Parent in Toronto, he refined the goaltending methods of Bernie Parent and taught him everything he knew about the position. After that, Bernie Parent improved dramatically and is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame with Jacques Plante! That is just one of many reasons why Jacques Plante is the best ever!

When someone else is awarded their seventh Vezina, only then will you see his equal.

Vladislav Tretiak

As a goalie myself, I found him to be extremely intimidating to players because he very rarely gave them a second chance from rebounds. His very quick reflexes reduced quick passes, redirects, and deflections by at least 50%. The saddest part is that he was not allowed to play in the NHL, so he could set new standards for up-and-coming goalies.

I'm positive that he would have set records that, like Gretzky and Orr, would not be matched or beaten for years. By far an unsung hero.

Tretiak was the most intimidating goalie to ever put on pads. His three gold medals and one silver spanning twelve years of near-total dominance are unprecedented. In that time, Tretiak won every game played against NHL teams, including all-star competitions. Had he been allowed to play in the NHL for those twelve-plus years, all indications are that Tretiak would have dominated the NHL.

Terry Sawchuk

Four Stanley Cups, 103 wins with smaller schedules, and an unbelievable 4 shutouts and 8 straight wins in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Best goalie ever!

He put his body on the line at a time when goalkeepers didn't wear face masks. That's how tough he was. Check his stats. Legend.

As far as I'm concerned, Terry Sawchuk was the greatest hockey goaltender of all time.

Ken Dryden

I am a Montrealer born in the sixties. Ken Dryden is a god!

No question. His 5 cups in 8 years is all you need to know.

An amazing goalie who decided to stop playing hockey because he said that the NHL wasn't tough enough for his level of play, so he decided to finish his law degree.

Georges Vezina

He does have the top goalie trophy named after him.

Mike Richter

Mike Richter was a brick wall when it came to breakaways and penalty shots.

Marc-Andre Fleury Marc-André Fleury is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League.

Most entertaining goalie on the ice today. Combines skill, natural talent, and is just plain fun to watch.

He's awesome, and he just got six wins in a row with the Penguins.

I love Flower! Great personality and a great goaltender.

The Newcomers

? James Foster

During the 1936 Winter Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament, Jimmy Foster made 219 saves from the 222 shots he faced, helping Great Britain win an unexpected gold medal. It was arguably the best performance ever by a player in an Olympic ice hockey tournament.

There is a book titled Pride & Glory by author Rob Jovanovic about that 1936 Winter Olympic gold medal-winning Great Britain ice hockey team, and it is very interesting.

For any goalie that has played at least 5 games in Olympic ice hockey history, Jimmy Foster has the highest save percentage and the lowest goals-against average ever, along with an outstanding career. Jimmy Foster was the goalie on the 1936 Winter Olympic gold medal Great Britain ice hockey team!

Jimmy Foster has the most combined shutouts in IIHF World Championship and Olympic play than any goalie in IIHF history. He was recently inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2023.

? Jack Campbell
The Contenders
Carey Price Carey Price is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who plays for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.

Of any of the listed goalies, this is the guy I would have starting on my all-time team. He is as close as you can get to a perfect goalie.

It is because of him that Montreal went to the conference finals. If only Kreider hadn't injured him, we would have won the cup.

Only Hasek has more Ted Lindsays and Harts, but Carey Price has way better stats. He had 44 wins, a 1.96 GAA, .933 SV%, and 9 shutouts in one year. That's better than Dominik Hasek.

Glenn Hall

Glenn Hall deserves to be in the top five goalies on this or any list. He won three Vezina Trophies, the Calder Trophy, and the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 1968 playoffs. He played 552 games in a row, an all-time record. He also made seven first all-star teams and four second teams. He was rated No. 16 by The Hockey News in 1998 among the NHL's greatest players of all time.

His records speak for themselves. He had 84 shutouts, played 502 games in a row, and made the first All-Star team 7 times when competing against Sawchuck and Plante. He won two Vezina trophies. The best of his time.

Henrik Lundqvist Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League.

I think he should be ahead of Brodeur. Brodeur is very overrated, and I think Lundqvist is very underrated. Lundqvist has a better save percentage and has the record for most consecutive Game 7 wins ever, which shows his clutchness.

Brodeur got all his wins on one of the best defensive teams of all time, while Lundqvist had to get his on a team with a crappy defense for the last ten years. For as long as I have seen Lundqvist in net, the Rangers have never had a good defense, and Lundqvist still managed to get a better save percentage than Brodeur.

Think about this: Brodeur has a worse save percentage than Lundqvist by a lot but a better goals-against average. How is this so? This is because Brodeur faced a lot fewer shots on his great defensive team, so he gave up more goals per shot than Lundqvist but still gave up fewer goals per game because he only had like 15-20 shots against him per game. This is why save percentage is way more accurate in ranking goalies than goals-against average.

And also, people say Brodeur has the most wins! Well, guess what? He also has the most losses! Seems pretty irrelevant now, right? And even after that, if you still think wins is an important stat and I can't change your mind, Lundqvist still wins in that column because Brodeur played eleven more seasons than Lundqvist and only has about 250 more wins. Lundqvist averages about 30 wins a season, so if he played as long as Brodeur, he would have an extra 330 wins and would pass Brodeur in wins. This is just for people who think wins is a good stat for ranking goalies - I sure don't. This was just to prove that even if it was, Lundqvist still wins.

Simply, Lundqvist is the better goalie, and Brodeur is overrated.

Jaroslav Halak

Absolute brick wall. He often catches fire and turns into the terminator. The single goalie that strikes the most fear in my heart when in the opposing pipes.

Probably the best goaltender ever to know how to get his defense to rally around him. Hockey is a team sport, and he is a team player.

Great goalie. Led the Islanders to consecutive playoff appearances.

Pekka Rinne Pekka Rinne is a Finnish professional hockey goaltender currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League.

Who could hate Rinne? There's some dumb Quick fanboy in the comments who hates Pekka for some reason, but this guy is everything you can want in a player and a person. He's an extremely humble guy who more than deserves the cup.

Best Finnish goalie. Sharp and a very good blocker. Good with team play and doesn't take any bad risks. Good winning percentage because he is good.

Best in Predators history. He will never be forgotten! Possibly first ballot.

Ed Belfour
Roberto Luongo Roberto Luongo is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League.

He carried the Canucks to the finals in 2011, wherein he had two shutouts. He is currently making a horrendous team appear at least respectable in Florida. Lu was simply never fortunate enough to be blessed with a dominant team.

Luongo has always played at an elite tier. He has only played on a good team for 1 or 2 years, yet he is among the best in wins. He carries every team he has been on and gets unfairly blamed because he couldn't win a game by being the only person on the ice actually playing.

Don't forget he won the Olympic gold for Canada in Vancouver in 2010. He should be Number 1!

Ron Hextall

First goalie to score a goal in the regular season and playoffs. By far the most aggressive and feared goalie ever! Search YouTube for Ron Hextall, and you will have a greater respect for him!

Grant Fuhr

He is the best! He served the Oilers in the great times and has been a great goalie. I'm surprised he did not make the top 5.

Tuukka Rask Tuukka Mikael Rask is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.
Artūrs Irbe

He was a great goalkeeper who played for Latvia. The highest point of his career with the Hurricanes was 2001 - 02 when Irbe was instrumental in leading the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup finals, where they fell to the Detroit Red Wings.

Irbe was the best goalkeeper in the world!

This guy has heart. Not in the top 5, but his name will always come up in a conversation. He has a lot of great games under his belt.

Jonathan Quick Jonathan Douglas Quick is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.

He needs to be above Rinne. He is amazing and always makes amazing saves. Love him. I'm a goalie person. I like other positions but love goalies, but I hate Rinne.

The most naturally skilled goalie ever.

The Kings won the cup with this guy!

Tony Esposito

I don't think he's the number one best goalie of all time, but Tony Esposito definitely deserves to be a lot higher than he currently is on the list. He should probably be somewhere in the lower half of the top 10. He's very underrated nowadays.

Best goalie ever considering the amount of shots on net and the team in front of him. He was a star.

Bernie Parent

Two Stanley Cups and two Vezinas and would have had more wins if not for a freak eye injury. People say that the Flyers and the Broad Street Bullies gooned their way to those two Cups in '74 and '75, but it was his net minding that was the real difference! Also, if he had not been hurt in the '76 Cup Finals, it might have been three straight Cups!

The ultimate money goalie, so intense.

Jiří Holeček
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