The NHA was replaced by the National Hockey League (NHL) in November 1917, with Vézina and the Canadiens joining the new league. On February 18, 1918, he became the first goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout by defeating the Torontos 9–0. On December 28, 1918, he became the first goaltender to have an assist, on a goal by Newsy Lalonde, who had took the puck after a save by Vézina. He finished the season with twelve wins, allowing the fewest goals against. Vézina also set a record, which was shared with Clint Benedict of the Ottawa Senators, for the fewest shutouts needed to lead the league in that category, with one.
In 1918–19 Vézina won ten games, and helped the Canadiens defeat the Ottawa Senators in the NHL playoffs for the ability to play for the Stanley Cup against the PCHA champion, the Seattle Metropolitans. Held in Seattle, the two teams were tied in the best of five series when it was cancelled due to the Spanish flu epidemic, the first time the Stanley Cup was not awarded. In the ten playoff games prior to the cancellation, Vézina had won six games, lost three and tied one, with one shutout. Vézina recorded nearly identical records the next two seasons, with thirteen wins and eleven losses and a goals against average above four in both 1919–20 and 1920–21. He won twelve games the following season, as the Canadiens again failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup.
After winning thirteen games in 1922–23, Vézina led the Canadiens into the NHL playoffs, where they lost the two game, total goal series to the Ottawa Senators, who would win the Stanley Cup. The following season saw Vézina return to leading the league in fewest goals against. His average of 1.97 goals per game was the first time a goaltender had averaged fewer than two goals against per game. With another thirteen win season in 1923–24, the Canadiens reached the NHL playoffs, where they again faced the Ottawa Senators. This time the Canadiens won the series, then defeated the Vancouver Maroons of the PCHA before reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in five years. Playing the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League, Vézina and the Canadiens won the best of three series two games to none, as Vézina recorded a shutout in the second game. The championship was the Canadiens' first as a member of the NHL and second as a club. After a seventeen win season in 1924–25 where Vézina recorded a goals against average of 1.81 to again lead the league, the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens only qualified after the Hamilton Tigers, the regular season champions, were suspended for refusing to play in the playoffs unless they were paid more. Facing the Victoria Cougars, the Canadiens lost the series three games to one.
Returning to Montreal for training camp for the 1925–26 season, Vézina was noticeably sick, though he said nothing about it. By the time of the Canadiens first game on November 28 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he had lost 35 pounds in a span of six weeks, and had a fever of 102 Fahrenheit. Even so, he took to the ice, and completed the first period without allowing a goal. Vézina began vomiting blood in the intermission before returning for the start of the second period. He then collapsed in his goal area, and left the game, with former US Olympic team goaltender Alphonse Lacroix taking his place.
The day after the game, Vézina was diagnosed with tuberculosis and advised to return home. He made a last trip into the Canadiens dressing room on December 3 to say a final goodbye to his teammates. Dandurand would later describe Vézina as sitting in his corner of the dressing room with "tears rolling down his cheeks. He was looking at his old pads and skates that Eddie Dufour [the Canadiens trainer] had arranged in Georges's corner. Then, he asked one little favour—the sweater he had worn in the last world series." Vézina returned to his hometown of Chicoutimi with his wife Marie, where he died in the early hours on March 27, 1926 at l'Hôtel-Dieu. Though he played only one period for the Canadiens during the entire season, the team paid his entire $6,000 salary, showing how important Vézina had been to the team.
One of the best goaltenders in the NHA and early NHL, Vézina led the Canadiens to five Stanley Cup Finals, where they won the Cup twice. Seven times in his career, Vézina had the lowest goals against average in the league he played, and he had the second best average another five times. From when he joined the Canadiens in 1910, until having to retire in 1925, Vézina never missed a game or allowed another person to replace him, playing in 328 regular season games and an additional 39 playoff games in a row. Though he played most of his career in an era when goaltenders could not leave their feet to make a save (the rule was changed in 1918), Vézina is considered as one of the greatest goaltenders in hockey history; the "Montreal Standard" referred to him as the "greatest goaltender of the last two decades" in their obituary.
Well liked in Montreal, Vézina was often seen as the best player on the ice for the Canadiens, and was respected by his teammates, who considered him a leader of the team. Referred to as "le Concombre de Chicoutimi" (the "Chicoutimi Cucumber") for his cool actions on the ice, he was also known as "l'Habitant silencieux" (the "silent Habitant", Habitant being a nickname for the Canadiens), because of his quiet personality. He often sat in a corner of the team's dressing room alone, smoking a pipe and reading the newspaper. When news of Vézina's death was announced, newspapers across Quebec paid tribute to the goalie with articles about his life and career. Hundreds of Catholic masses were held in honour of the devout Vézina, and more than 1500 people went to the Chicoutimi cathedral for his funeral.
Another legacy of Vézina was the trophy named after him. At the start of the 1926–27 season, Leo Dandurand, Leo Letourneau and Joseph Cattarinich, owners of the Montreal Canadiens, donated the Vezina Trophy to the NHL in honour of Vézina. It was to be awarded to the goaltender of the team who allowed the fewest goals during the regular season. The inaugural winner of the trophy was Vézina's successor in goal for the Canadiens, George Hainsworth. He also won the trophy the next two seasons. In 1981, the NHL changed the format of awarding the trophy, giving it to the goaltender deemed best in the league, chosen by NHL general managers. The Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1945 and among the first twelve inductees was Vézina. In 1998 Vézina was ranked number 75 on "The Hockey News"' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. In honour of the first professional athlete to come from Chicoutimi, the city renamed their hockey arena the Centre Georges-Vézina in 1965.
1980–81 NHL season
"Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes"
<br>
"Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold"
"Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points"
New York Islanders vs. Minnesota North Stars
"New York wins the series 4–1."
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1980–81 (listed with their first team, star(*) marks debut in playoffs):
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1980–81 (listed with their last team):
List of NHL seasons
This is a list of National Hockey League seasons since the first year of the league, and also of the league which turned into it, the National Hockey Association:
1910 |
1910–11 |
1911–12 |
1912–13 |
1913–14 |
1914–15 |
1915–16 |
1916–17
Seasons started in January and ended in March until the 1910–11 season which was the first to start before the new year.
1917–18 |
1918–19 |
1919–20 |
1920–21 |
1921–22 |
1922–23 |
1923–24 |
1924–25 |
1925–26 |
1926–27 |
1927–28 |
1928–29 |
1929–30 |
1930–31 |