BEN BISHOP WAS ROBBED. The veteran goaltender probably should have won the 2019 Vezina Trophy after posting career-bests in both save percentage (.943) and goals-against average (1.96) while playing behind an injury-ravaged defense in Dallas, but finished second behind Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.
It’s not the runner-up status that’s shocking – after all, Vasilevskiy played a key role in the Lightning’s recordsmashing season. It’s that Bishop somehow was left off seven ballots cast by the league’s general managers.
Bishop’s used to being overlooked, though. A third round pick in the 2005 draft by the Blues, he was the victim of a logjam in the St. Louis crease despite putting up dynamite numbers in the AHL. That led to a 2012 trade to Ottawa, where Robin Lehner’s rapid ascendance led to a 2013 deadline trade to Tampa Bay. He finally established himself as a starter with the Bolts, ultimately setting franchise records for wins, saves and games played and twice ranking as a Vezina finalist, but with Vasilevskiy on the horizon, he was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings to serve as the backup to Jonathan Quick at the 2017 deadline.