Igor Shesterkin is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner after an amazing season with the New York Rangers in 2021-22. From his stellar record of 36-13-4 with six shutouts to his league leading stats of a .935 SV% and 2.07 GAA, Shesty was unreal.
The 26 year-old goalie won the award by a landslide as 29 out of 32 NHL GM’s gave him a first place votes. The remaining three GM’s all gave him second place votes. In the end, he beat out second place finisher Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames by 101 voting points.
Despite all he’s accomplished, The Czar of New York still acknowledges The King.
Igor Shesterkin on Henrik Lundqvist
After winning the Vezina and finishing third in the Hart Trophy voting for NHL MVP on Tuesday, Shesterkin addressed the media. The focus was on his great season until someone asked who his favorite goalie was as a kid.
“Henrik Lundqvist,” Shesterkin quickly replied. “No debate.”
Lundqvist was the last Rangers goalie to win the Vezina Trophy in 2012 before Igor completed the feat. That season, The King posted a 39-18-5 record with a jaw-dropping 1.97 GAA and a stellar .930 SV% (the highest of his 15 year career).
“When I was growing up, I asked my dad to buy me TPS pads, blocker and glove and he told me, ‘No. We don’t have money for that,'” he recalled laughing about wanting to wear the same gear as Lundqvist. “I said, ‘Okay, next time I will buy it for myself.’
“He was a very good goalie and so fun to watch how he played.”
The two shared the Rangers’ net for a brief time and Henrik, who knows a thing or two about great goaltending saw something in the young man.
“He was a pretty quiet guy. I think it was a language barrier thing and I tried to make him comfortable,” Lundqvist recalled. “He worked hard and had a great attitude from day one. The success we’re seeing isn’t a surprise at all.”
Henrik made it a point to share his congratulations on social media for Igor’s accomplishment.
“Congrats Igor on an amazing season, start to finish,” Lundqvist said on Twitter. “It was great to watch.”
Rangers congratulate Igor Shesterkin
The New York Rangers posted a congratulatory video to Igor Shesterkin for winning the Vezina Trophy. Several players submitted videos that were compiled for Igor to see.
Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Reaves, and Kevin Rooney all applauded his performance.
After watching the video on Instagram he posted: “Thank you guys! Appreciate every single person in this team.”
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