The William M. Jennings Trophy is an annual National Hockey League (NHL) award given to "the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it ... based on regular-season play." However, it was recognized that this system often meant the trophy went to the goaltender of the better team rather than the individual and was changed to offer the trophy to the most outstanding goaltender, as voted by the NHL general managers. The William M. Jennings Trophy was created as a replacement and is awarded to the starting goaltender(s) playing for the team with the fewest goals against.
The Jennings Trophy was donated by the NHL's board of governors and first presented at the conclusion of the 1981–82 season. It is named in honor of the late William M. Jennings, who was a longtime governor and president of the New York Rangers and a builder of ice hockey in the United States. Normally the minimum number of games a goaltender must play to be eligible for the trophy is 25, but for the lockout shortened 1994–95 season, the required minimum was fourteen games.
Ten players have won both the Jennings and Vezina Trophy for the same season: Patrick Roy ( and ), Ed Belfour ( and ), Dominik Hasek ( and ), Martin Brodeur (, ), Miikka Kiprusoff (), Tim Thomas (), Carey Price (), Marc-Andre Fleury (), Linus Ullmark (), and Connor Hellebuyck ( and ).