The Vezina Trophy is awarded "to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position."

This will be one very difficult process for the NHL's general managers because we have seen brilliant performances from several worthy candidates, including ones that lifted non-playoff teams into the postseason.

I have often found that most observers, whether it is media, GMs or the players themselves, will lean far too often toward the goalie who has a very good reputation based on past performance and not necessarily the goalie who has actually played the best during the season.

That said, it is amazing that Martin Brodeur has never won the Vezina Trophy, as he has demonstrated just what consistency is all about. He hasn't received his full share of credit because the Devils are always a strong defensive team. Marty doesn't have to stand on his head every night and dominate games like so many in the league have to do. The Devils are always in the top three in the East, so there is never any desperation when it comes to just making the playoffs, which is the situation that earns many goalies the credit.

We certainly saw that last season with Jose Theodore. He caught everyone's attention down the stretch as he helped the Canadiens into the playoffs, then surprised many when he walked off with both the Vezina and the Hart Trophy at the awards ceremony. All season, most of us felt that Patrick Roy or Sean Burke would win at least the Vezina, and maybe even the Hart. When you have teams like Colorado and New Jersey, you expect them to win and be at the top of their conferences.

Imagine if in the last game of the season, Colorado HAD to win to get in the playoffs. Would we be throwing the same accolades toward Roy and claim how great he was to get them in? Or would people instead bemoan their position and call it disappointing? In those instances, we marvel about the acrobatic Theodore and forget about Roy or Burke.

Every team plays a different style so a goaltender on one team can see the same amount of shots as another, yet the quality of one will certainly differ than the other. A snap shot from the top of the circles counts just the same as a one-timer from the slot. These are two very different scoring chances, as we all know. A good goalie on a good team -- like Brodeur -- has to make three or four momentum-saving stops to win games 2-1. Whereas, a good goalie on a bad team can see 35 shots and give up four goals, but still get credit for bailing out his team, even if one of those goals was a terrible one. When you face fewer shots, and your team is out shooting the opponent, the magnifying glass is at its strongest and is focused on scrutinizing the goal(s) against. The best example is clearly Brodeur in New Jersey.

Another valid argument, in terms of difficulty in shots against, is how many times a team is shorthanded. This is an area that I hope the GMs look at before casting their votes. Let's take a closer look at four top candidates for the Vezina Trophy and how often their teams were shorthanded: