Vasilevskiy's Pranked Vezina
Andrei Vasilevskiy Earns Second Vezina Trophy, Lightning Stages Elaborate Police Prank
Andrei Vasilevskiy was named the 2025-26 Vezina Trophy winner, beating finalists Ilya Sorokin and Jeremy Swayman to earn his second career Vezina and first since 2018-19. The Lightning goaltender posted a 39-15-4 record with a 2.31 goals-against average and .912 save percentage, and received 17 first-place votes for 114 points. His win was capped by a Tampa Bay-arranged surprise in which Tampa police, including a K-9 unit, staged an investigation near his car to prompt officers to reveal the sealed trophy. Vasilevskiy said he was relieved to avoid any trouble and appreciated the team-focused nature of the award. The NHL highlighted that the win followed other Lightning recognition this season, including coach Jon Cooper’s Jack Adams Trophy, with more awards potentially ahead for teammates.
Key Points
Tampa Bay’s “trophy sting” was carried out while Vasilevskiy trained in the gym at the Lightning’s home rink, Benchmark International Arena. Tampa Police later used an investigation prompt—claiming there was a suspicious object nearby—to get him to identify his own vehicle; a K-9 alerted to something in the passenger seat before officers retrieved the sealed trophy.
Vasilevskiy said he initially focused on avoiding paperwork after hearing police believed there was a suspicious object in his car: “I was just happy that my car is in one piece… I didn't want to go through the insurance process.”
The NHL voting structure was emphasized in the announcement: the Vezina is “awarded annually to the goalie voted the best at his position by NHL general managers,” with 32 GMs participating in the vote.
In addition to coach Jon Cooper’s Jack Adams Trophy, the Lightning’s other award pipeline includes Nikita Kucherov being a finalist for both the Ted Lindsay Award and the Hart Trophy, according to the report on the Vezina presentation.
Advanced and historical context: HockeyStats credited Vasilevskiy with 23.57 goals saved above expected, and the Athletic noted he’s the 24th goalie in NHL history to win multiple Vezina trophies. It also placed his second win within a broader rarity: he joined Sergei Bobrovsky and Connor Hellebuyck as the only active goalies with multiple Vezinas.
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