The best goalie in the NHL, as voted by the league's general managers, is awarded the Vezina Trophy. Unfortunately, the process isn't always fair. Last year, Patrick Roy won 40 games for the first time in his career and he wasn't even nominated as a finalist.

When evaluating my top five, I look at every possible element: the opposition, specialty teams situations against, the score, the shots against and who had them.

That's something to keep in mind when looking at the Olympic picture, especially for Team Canada, which remains pretty open. Curtis Joseph has started to play well after a slow start for the Leafs (two shutouts in his last two games, stopping 53 shots), while Ed Belfour's Stars are not scoring any goals for him. Roy has been slowed by a hip injury, but you know he'll be there when it counts. Martin Brodeur, who also got off to a slow start, has been outstanding in his last five games. Phoenix's Sean Burke remains a long shot. He has a young team, so he has a big responsibility of not only stopping pucks, but also being a leader in every situation. (Burke was the first star in two of the last four games).

As far as Team USA is concerned, keep your eye on Tom Barrasso's play. He's been splitting time with Arturs Irbe in Carolina and has been solid in his last three starts, winning two of them. Mike Richter faces 40-45 shots on a nightly basis and seems to excel in those situations. His lateral movement looks great and so do his reflexes. Mike Dunham has won two of his last three, losing only to Detroit 1-0 (the Hall of Fame line of Luc Robitaille, Steve Yzerman and Brett Hull had 6 shots). This will be competitive down to the wire.

Other goalies that have caught my eye, but didn't crack the Top Five: Johan Hedberg seems to be getting more consistent (tough to bounce back after the roll he was on in the playoffs). Byron Dafoe has been strong for the Bruins. His losses have been by 2-1 or 2-0, which may change if Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray add more offense. The toughest job is in St. Louis, where Brent Johnson and Fred Brathwaite only face 15 shots a game, just like the old Canadiens days when Ken Dryden was there. Don't overlook Nikolai Khabibulin in Tampa Bay, as they continue to sneak up on teams. Ever since they gave away his bobblehead doll, he's been rolling pretty good.

This week's Top Five:

Thibault	5. Jocelyn Thibault, Chicago Blackhawks 6 GP, 4-0-2, 2.27 GAA, .900 save percentage The Hawks are the aggressive, accountable team that Brian Sutter wanted them to be and Thibault is the horse they’ve been riding. They squandered a two-goal lead against Boston before settling for a tie, but played strong in wins against some of the toughest in the West. He beat San Jose 4-2 (22 saves) and doubled up both Calgary (6-3) and the Avalanche (4-2). He has been a poor starter in the past, but not this season and it’s paying off.
Hasek	4. Dominik Hasek, Detroit Red Wings 5 GP, 4-1-0, 2.41 GAA, .913 save percentage Hasek’s move from Buffalo has been a bigger adjustment than people realize -- and we’re talking off the ice more than on it. The commute from home to the rink is longer and the traffic is worse, but Dom has been marveling at the offense of this team. A good example is the home win against Philadelphia when the Wings were trailing 2-1 with less than two minutes to play. They won the game 3-2. When they have breakdowns (which he faces more than he did in Buffalo) he has been stealing points, winning 3-2 against L.A., and 4-1 against Edmonton before making 40 saves in a loss to Dallas (Belfour had 42 saves). They can't keep No. 39 jerseys in stock at Joe Louis Arena.
Turek	3. Roman Turek, Calgary Flames 5 GP, 4-1-0, 2.18 GAA, .908 save percentage The Flame isn't flickering at all. It is strong and believing in the system that Greg Gilbert has them playing. Turek has won three of his last four games, and even though the Flames are not giving up that many great chances, he has been a rock when needed. The biggest test was surely his return to St. Louis where the Flames won 3-2 behind his 26 saves. He also beat Toronto 4-1 and Minnesota 4-2.
Brodeur	2. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils 5 GP, 4-1-0, 1.79 GAA, .931 save percentage The Devils are back and so is their franchise goalie as Marty has been a star in four of his last five games. He has given up a paltry five goals in his last four games against tough competition. He beat Ottawa 3-2 and 2-1 in a home-and-home series, while dumping Buffalo 3-1 and San Jose 6-1. He is making a strong case for himself as Team Canada’s No. 1 guy in Salt Lake City. You have to know they like his calmness and his puckhandling ability will come in handy on the big ice surface.
Osgood	1. Chris Osgood, New York Islanders 5 GP, 4-1-0, 1.33 GAA, .953 save percentage This is the greatest story in hockey right now. The team that can't lose in regulation! Ozzie has been fantastic and they believe they will win every game they are in. He was the second star in the 3-2 OT win over Dallas as he made 41 dazzling saves (Sergei Zubov, Pierre Turgeon and Mike Modano had 11 shots). He won 3-2 at Carolina, won 2-1 vs. Carolina at home and beat Carolina again, 4-0, courtesy of a scheduling fluke. He was also third star on Brian Trottier Day in the 2-2 tie with San Jose. Great work Ozzie and the Isles!