Jim Carey Went From Winning the Vezina To Out of the League in a Few Years

Published on August 7th, 2024 3:04 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Jim Carey, otherwise known as the "Net Detective", was a literal star in the NHL.

Meaning, he shone bright for a period of time, and then exploded, never to be seen again.

The story of Jim Carey's NHL career begins at the 1992 NHL Draft, when he was taken 32nd overall by the Washington Capitals.

The Capitals desperately needed a goaltender, and Jim Carey had impressed while playing college hockey with the Wisconsin Badgers.

On March 2nd, 1995, Jim Carey made his debut with the Washington, playing on the road against the New York Islanders just a few months prior to his 21st birthday. Carey impressed in that game, making 21 saves on 24 shots for the victory.

In his next game, Carey was even better, allowing just 1 goal on 29 shots. Another game, another win.

In fact, in his first eight games in the NHL, Carey didn't allow more than 3 goals, and went his first eight games without posting a single loss.

Jim Carey had arrived - the Washington Capitals finally had their goalie of the future. Despite playing just 28 games, Carey was so good that he finished 2nd in Calder Trophy voting.

Heading into the 1995-96 season, the Washington Capitals named Carey as their starting goaltender.

The 1995-96 season was even better than the year before for Carey, as he played in 71 games while posting a record of 35-24-9 with nine shutouts and a GAA of 2.26.

The "Net Detective" won the Vezina Trophy in just his second season.

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Little did Carey know that his time with the Capitals was just about up.

At the 1996-97 trade deadline, the Bruins and Capitals pulled off a blockbuster deal, that saw Carey, Anson Carter and Jason Allison heading to the Bruins, in exchange for Adam Oates, Bill Ranford and Rick Tocchet.

The wheels started to come off for Carey that season, as he posted a record of 22-31-3. His save % and GAA numbers came down considerably, and he posted just one shutout.

Over his next two seasons, injuries and inconsistent play would limit Carey's appearances to just 14 games.

Carey would play his final season (1998-99) with the St. Louis Blues, where he would appear in just 4 games while posting a record of 1-2-0.

At the age of 24, and just three years removed from winning the Vezina Trophy, Carey was out of the league, never to return.

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Carey surely felt as though he was on top of the world at the tender age of 21, though it can be hard to pull things together at such a young age as well, especially when things start going bad.