It’s become the “Avalanche Way.” The idea that there is only one goal in mind each and every season, it goes beyond any single player. As head coach Jared Bednar pointed out on Wednesday following Scott Wedgewood’s Vezina trophy nomination snub, the team is focusing on something else.
"I really don't care about the individual awards. There's only one trophy I want to win"
— Jesse Montano (@jessemontano_) April 29, 2026
- Jared Bednar
Needless to say, the trophy he is referring to is the Stanley Cup. Bednar could become the 15th head coach in NHL history to win multiple Stanley Cups in his career. Notable names who have done so are Jon Cooper, Darryl Sutter, Mike Sullivan, Joel Quenneville, Hap Day, Toe Blake, and Scotty Bowman.
Ultimately, individual awards are cool, especially for guys who have been under the radar and/or coming out of nowhere like Wedgewood. Before his trade to the Avalanche, you wouldn’t have heard his name in the Vezina discussion. Even still, I don’t think that he deserved to be excluded from being a finalist.
Wedgewood had bailed the Avalanche out time and time again this season, with 23.1 goals saved above expected (GSAx). While all three goalies nominated for the Vezina trophy this year had a better GSAx, it really should be noted that Wedgewood is right up there with the best of the best in many different goalie measuring sticks.
In the end, Bednar is absolutely right: the Stanley Cup is the only trophy that should matter to any player in the NHL. After all, it’s why they play the game. The fact that Wedgewood was excluded from the nomination isn’t a bad thing at all. I don’t know how Bednar will split the starts between his two goaltenders, but Wedgewood made a strong case to get a bunch more starts in future seasons.
It will be up to him to continue to prove that he has what it takes to be a 1a or 1b goalie in 2026-27. I would be shocked if we see some sort of dip in his play next year, especially if he continues to get starts in the postseason, which there are no signs of the opposite happening as long as he continues to dominate in the crease.
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