Andrei Vasilevskiy isn’t known for getting fooled on the ice, but a few Tampa police officers deked the Lightning netminder on Saturday when presenting him with his second Vezina Trophy.
Vasilevskiy was a runaway winner for the award, which goes to the NHL’s top goaltender.
He received 17 first-place votes among the 31 ballots cast by the league’s general managers. The New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin was second (51 points) and Boston’s Jeremy Swayman was third (46). The format awards 5 points for a first-place vote, 3 for second and 1 for third.
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“As a professional goalie who plays in the NHL, it’s one of your ultimate goals, for sure, to win the award,” Vasilevskiy said. “But it’s all about the team, and you will never win this award without a good team in front of you. That means a lot to me.”
He learned about the honor during a ruse – recorded for social media – in the Benchmark International Arena parking lot with the help of a police K-9 unit and building security.
While Vasilevskiy worked out inside, the trophy was placed in his parked Porsche 911. Later, he was told about a make-believe police chase into the lot by Capt. Andrea Hughes, who advised him K-9s were going to check on his car. Officer Dutch alerted on something in the vehicle.
A worried Vasilevskiy wanted no part of unzipping the object's covering, then smiled proudly when officers did the honor and revealed the trophy. “Now, I’m embarrassed,” he said.
A special surprise for Andrei Vasilevskiy! 🏆 #NHLAwards
— NHL (@NHL) June 6, 2026
Andrei Vasilevskiy is the winner of the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender for the second time in his career! pic.twitter.com/mZw1WVXF8I
“I was just happy that my car was in one piece,” a relieved Vasilevskiy said. “I didn’t want to go, like, through the insurance process when I heard this suspicious object (was) in my car.”
The 31-year-old Russian led all goalies this year with 39 wins, going 39-15-14 to backstop Tampa Bay to a second-place finish in the Atlantic Division and a ninth consecutive playoff appearance.
That includes a 17-0-1 stretch from late December through February, with a 1.90 goals-aga
inst average and .925 save percentage.
For the season, his 2.31 goals-against average and .912 save percentage ranked second to Colorado’s Scott Wedgewood – but the Bolts’ netminder started 15 more games (58-43).
Vasilevskiy, a first-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2012, also won the Vezina after the 2018-19 season.
He has been among the top three in voting six times – most among active goaltenders – and joins Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck as the only multiple winners.
It was the second major postseason prize for Tampa Bay.
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Jon Cooper was presented with the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best coach on Thursday. He also received his honor in a surprise setting, at Tampa General Hospital during a ribbon-cutting for a pediatric cancer lounge funded by his family’s foundation.
Hughes said she was proud to be a part of the parking lot charade for Vasilevskiy.
“I see the team often,” said the police captain, who added that she often works off duty at the arena. “They come and do stuff with the Tampa Police Department, so sharing that opportunity with them and this experience was amazing.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
