John Vanbiesbrouck was drafted 72nd overall in the 1981 Entry Draft by the New York Rangers. He made his NHL debut that season with a victory in his only game. In 1983-84, he played three regular season games (2-1-0) and one playoff game. In 1984-85, John joined the Rangers full-time and split goaltending duties with Glen Hanlon. John won 12 games that year, posted one shutout and won the Rangers' Fan Club Rookie of Year and Good Guy awards. In 1985-86, he played 61 games and won a league best 31 games. He posted three shutouts, was a First Team All-Star and won the Vézina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. He also won the Rangers' Fan Club Frank Boucher Trophy (most popular on and off the ice), the Rangers' Players' Player Award and the Rangers' MVP Trophy. In the playoffs, John led the Rangers to the Wales Conference finals.
In 1986-87, John played 50 games and won the Rangers' Toots Shor Award for his service to youngsters. In 1987-88, he went 27-22-7 as the Rangers missed the playoffs. In 1988-89, John went 28-21-4 and helped the Rangers make the playoffs. In 1989-90, John went 19-19-7 and led the Rangers to a Patrick Division season title. That year, John co-won the Rangers' Extra Effort Award with teammate Kelly Kisio.
In 1990-91, John split the goaltending duties with Mike Richter. In 40 games, he went 15-18-6 and recorded three shutouts. With the arrival of Mark Messier in 1991-92, John went 27-13-3 and led the Rangers to a Presidents' Trophy. He posted a 2.85 goals-against average and two shutouts. In 1992-93, John went 20-18-7 and posted four shutouts.
On June 20, 1993, John was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for future considerations (Doug Lidster). Four days later, he was claimed in the Expansion Draft by the Florida Panthers. In the team's first season, John posted 21 wins with a 2.53 GAA. He was a Second Team All-Star, the runner-up to the Vézina Trophy and a finalist (third place) for the Hart Trophy. During the season, he played in his first mid-season All-Star Game (at Madison Square Garden) and won Player of the Week honours (March 21). In the shortened 1994-95 season, John went 14-5-4 and posted a 2.47 GAA with four shutouts.
In 1995-96, John played in his second straight All-Star Game and went 26-20-7 with a 2.68 GAA and two shutouts. That year, he led the Panthers to a 46-point improvement to make the playoffs for the first time in team history. In the playoffs, John paced all goalies with 22 games and helped the Panthers win the Prince of Wales Trophy in the Eastern Conference finals. They then lost to the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup finals. At year's end, John ranked 15th on The Hockey News' Top-40 players list.
In 1996-97, John won Player of the Week honours on October 14 and Player of the Month honours at the end of October. John went 27-19-10 that season and posted a 2.29 GAA with two shutouts. He also played in his third All-Star Game. In 1997-98, he played 60 games and posted a 2.87 GAA with four shutouts.
On July 16, 1998, John signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers. That year, John went 27-18-15 with a 2.18 GAA and six shutouts. In 1999-2000, he won Player of the Week on October 24 and played in his 800th career game on December 2. He finished the year with a 25-15-9 record, a 2.20 GAA and three shutouts.
On June 25, 2000, John was traded to the New York Islanders for a fourth-round draft pick. On March 12, 2001, John was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Chris Terreri and a ninth-round draft pick. John played 48 games that season between the two teams and recorded a 2.87 GAA with a 90.1 save percentage. In the playoffs, as Martin Brodeur's goaltending partner, John helped the Devils win the Prince of Wales Trophy before losing to the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup finals.
