By Zane Miller
20- Ed Belfour (Sharks, Stars, Maple Leafs, Panthers)
Although he spent the first half of his career wearing number 30, Belfour still got plenty of accomplishments done while wearing #20. Known as “Eddie the Eagle”, Belfour captured 160 wins with the Dallas Stars, 93 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, 27 with the Florida Panthers and three with the San Jose Sharks for 283 wins while wearing the number. Although fellow former Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov also makes a very strong case with an impressive three 40-win seasons, he came up short of the Stanley Cup while Belfour won the Cup with the Stars in 1999.
40-win seasons: 3
Stanley Cups: 1
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
23- Al Rollins (Maple Leafs)
Rollins earned 56 wins while wearing the number 23 jersey for the Maple Leafs, with the 1950-51 season being a big one as he captured both the Vezina Trophy and Stanley Cup title while splitting the net with the legendary Turk Broda.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 1
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: 1950-51 season (Al Rollins)
24- Terry Sawchuk (Maple Leafs)
Best remembered for his time with the Detroit Red Wings, Sawchuk had a successful yet brief run with the Maple Leafs as well while taking the number 24 jersey. The future Hall of Famer won 16 games for the team in 1964-65, platooning with another goaltending great in Johnny Bower as they split that season’s Vezina Trophy.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 1
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: 1964-65 (Terry Sawchuk)
25- Jacob Markstrom (Panthers, Canucks, Flames, Devils)
Another very recent addition to this list, Markstrom has already established his presence in the league with the #25 during his still ongoing NHL career, winning 105 games with the Calgary Flames, 97 for the Vancouver Canucks and one as a Panther for 203 total wins with the number.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: N/A
27- Ron Hextall (Flyers, Nordiques)
One of the best puck-handling goaltenders of all-time, Hextall wasted no time in putting the #27 in highlight reels across the nation, as he won the Vezina Trophy in his rookie season and scored the Conn Smythe award for playoff MVP, though he and the Philadelphia Flyers came up short of lifting the Stanley Cup. Hextall nabbed 240 wins for the Flyers and 29 wins for the Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche) for an impressive 269 wins with the number.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: 1986-87 season (Ron Hextall)
28- Bob Sauve (Sabres, Devils)
Sauve claimed 119 wins for the Buffalo Sabres and 14 wins with the New Jersey Devils while wearing number 28, good for a total of 133 victories. Also noteworthy, Sauve helped earn the first of what would be nine Vezina Trophies for Sabre goaltenders, splitting appearances with teammate Don Edwards in the 1979-80 season.
40-win seasons: 0
Stanley Cups: 0
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: 1979-80 season (Bob Sauve)
29- Ken Dryden (Canadiens)
Despite having a relatively short NHL career by today’s standards, Dryden certainly got a lot done in that amount of time, all while wearing the number 29 throughout. Dryden won 258 games while losing only 57 as he played his entire career with the Montreal Canadiens, but this would be far from the last of his accolades as he captured six Stanley Cup rings (including four in a row from 1976 to 1979), which remains a record for goaltenders in an honor he shares with fellow Habs legend Jacques Plante. Not only that, Dryden crossed the 40-win mark in both 1975-76 and 1976-77 to go along with winning the Vezina five times.
40-win seasons: 4
Stanley Cups: 11
MVP awards: 0
Last won Vezina: 2020-21 season (Marc-Andre Fleury)
Retired by: Montreal Canadiens (Ken Dryden)
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