By Zane Miller
I did a list like this about five years ago, but that one was honestly not as in-depth so I wanted to fix that and do it right this time. To be considered for the list, the player has to have led a team in wins in at least one season while wearing the jersey number (except in rare instances). Also, to clear up any confusion, the ‘retired by’ section only refers to teams retiring a number for a goaltender specifically.
1- Jacques Plante (Canadiens, Rangers, Maple Leafs)
Starting off with by far the most successful goalie number in NHL history, Plante stands ahead in an incredibly talented group of all-time greats to wear the number 1 jersey. Plante claimed 314 with the Montreal Canadiens, 48 with the New York Rangers and 32 as a Toronto Maple Leaf for 394 career wins with the number, while also winning the Hart trophy for league MVP in 1961-62. Plante also earned the Vezina trophy for best goaltender six times during his run with the Canadiens, including five straight from the 1955-56 season to 1959-60 which remains a record to this day. Plante also won six of the number’s record 64 Stanley Cup titles, tying with future Montreal legend Ken Dryden for most all-time by a goaltender.
40-win seasons: 14
Stanley Cups: 64
MVP awards: 4
Last won Vezina: 1982-83 season (Pete Peeters)
Retired by: Chicago Blackhawks (Glenn Hall), Detroit Red Wings (Terry Sawchuk), Florida Panthers (Roberto Luongo), Montreal Canadiens (Jacques Plante), New York Rangers (Ed Giacomin), Philadelphia Flyers (Bernie Parent), Toronto Maple Leafs (Johnny Bower & Turk Broda)
2- Lorne Chabot (Rangers)
Chabot became the only NHL goaltender to lead a team in wins while wearing a single-digit number other than 1, doing so in 1926-27 during the New York Rangers’ inaugural season with 22 victories. While Chabot went on to have an outstanding career in the NHL, he would not do it with the number 2 jersey as he permanently switched to #1 starting with 1927-28.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
11- Hal Winkler (Bruins)
Winkler nabbed 32 career wins with the Boston Bruins in the 1926-27 and 1927-28 seasons, all of which coming while wearing number 11. His 15 shutouts in 1927-28 is also second-most in a single season in league history.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
12- George Hainsworth (Canadiens)
One of the most dominant stretches for any goaltender in NHL history came with the number 12 jersey of all things, as Hainsworth captured 76 wins for the Montreal Canadiens in a three-year stretch from 1926-27 to 1928-29. Hainsworth certainly made the most of his time with #12, as he won the Vezina trophy in all three of those seasons, including a 1928-29 season which saw him not only record 22 shutouts but also secure another likely unbreakable record with a goals against average of 0.92, which remains the only time a goalie has achieved a GAA of less than 1.00 in a season of at least 40 games played.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: 1928-29 season (George Hainsworth)
15- Flat Walsh (Maroons)
Walsh won a career-high 17 games during his lone season wearing the 15 jersey in 1929-30 as a member of the Montreal Maroons.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
16- Lester Patrick (Rangers)
Although Patrick never led any NHL team in wins during his career (in fact, he only appeared in one regular season game and it wasn’t even as a goaltender), he still made his mark with the number 16 as he won the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals with the New York Rangers, entering the net as an emergency backup at 44 years old. Patrick was credited with the win in game two as well as being the team’s head coach, a role he would hold through the 1938-39 season.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 1
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
17- Bill Beveridge (orig. Senators)
Beveridge won just seven games during his 1932-33 season with the original Ottawa Senators, which sadly did make him the most victorious goaltender on the 11-win team.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
18- Mike Karakas (Black Hawks)
While Karakas had the most success of his career wearing the more traditional #1, he still played the 1935-36 season wearing number 18 for the Chicago Black Hawks, where he posted 21 wins.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
19- Mikko Koskinen (Oilers)
The most recent selection on this list by a wide margin, Koskinen won 83 career games wearing the same #19 that he carried over to the Edmonton Oilers from his time in the Kontinental Hockey League, serving as the team’s winningest goalie in both 2018-19 and 2021-22.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
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