Martin Brodeur’s Top 10 moments

As the Devils retire Martin Brodeur's number, we look back at the 10 greatest moments of his record-breaking NHL career.

Author:
Allan Muir
Publish date:
Feb 9, 2016

With Martin Brodeur set to have his number lifted to the rafters in New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Tuesday night, let's take a look back at 10 of the greatest moments from his record-breaking career.

10. June 10, 2000:His greatest game

When a guy has played as many high-stakes games as Brodeur, it’s nearly impossible to narrow them down to his single best performance. But as someone who was in the building that night in Dallas, I’d put my money on the 30-save effort that led the Devils to a Stanley Cup-clinching, 2–1 win over the Stars in double OT of Game 6. Coming on the heels of a 1–0 triple OT loss back in New Jersey, this was one that Brodeur was simply not going to let his team lose. He made more stops, and certainly better saves, than he did in this one, but it was the sheer determination in his game that made this one a classic.

9. June 2003: His first Vezina Trophy

Photos: Devils honor Martin Brodeur with statue

After a series of near-misses, including two finishes as runner-up, Brodeur finally earned recognition as the league’s top netminder at age 30. He led the NHL in wins (43), shutouts (9) and appearances (73) as he backstopped the Devils to a division title. He went on to claim three of the next four Vezinas, sealing his reputation as one of the all-time greats.

8. April 17, 1997: Lighting the lamp

With just under a minute remaining in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals vs. Montreal, Brodeur retrieved a dump-in from behind his net and fired the puck 195 feet down the ice into the cage vacated moments earlier by Jocelyn Thibault to seal a 5–2 New Jersey win. The goal was one of three he would be credited with during his career, but the only one on which he personally took the shot.

7. Dec. 15, 2001: His 300th win

It's the personal milestone every goaltender sets his sights on: a 300th win. Just 31 backstops in the history of the game have hit it, including Brodeur who reached the mark with a 2–0 shutout of the Ottawa Senators. At 29 years 223 days, he became the youngest player to get to 300. Amazingly, he went on to win another 300-plus games between the ages of 30 and 39, setting an unofficial mark for most wins by a netminder past the age of 30.

6. April 5, 2007: No. 48

Brodeur began his assault on the game's major records by defeating the Flyers, 3–2. The victory was his 48th of the season, a personal best that topped the single-season mark set by Philadelphia’s Bernie Parent during the 1973-74 season.

5. Dec. 21, 2009:Passing Terry Sawchuk

When nature calls a goalie

Brodeur was always quick to credit his teammates for his success, and for good reason. A keeper doesn’t bypass the legendary Terry Sawchuk on his way to to 104 career shutouts without a lot of help along the way. But Brodeur was full value in this one, making 35 saves to secure a 4–0 win against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Penguins. He sealed the deal with a flashy glove save on a low bid by Evgeni Malkin in the final minute of play.

4. June 9, 2003: His third Stanley Cup

Brodeur and the Devils clinched their third Stanley Cup in epic fashion, blanking the gritty Anaheim Ducks, 3–0, in a thrilling Game 7. Brodeur made 24 saves to secure the victory and, in doing so, became just the third goalie to record a shutout in a Game 7 of a Cup Final. It was his seventh shutout of that postseason, setting a new record for a single playoff season. He went on to record a total of 24 playoff shutouts, another record that’s likely to stand the test of time.

3. June 24, 1995: His first Stanley Cup

The fifth-seeded Devils became the lowest-ranked team ever to hoist the Stanley Cup when they completed their sweep of the Red Wings with a 5–2 win in Game 4. Brodeur was brilliant in the Final, allowing just seven goals, and he finished the postseason with a sizzling 1.67 goals-against average.

2. Feb. 24, 2002: Olympic gold

Martin Brodeur, the goalie who doesn't flinch: a classic SI story

After watching Patrick Roy go wire-to-wire in Nagano, all Brodeur wanted out of the 2002 Salt Lake experience was one chance to step between the pipes, just so he could say he’d played in the Olympics. He got that and then some. After Curtis Joseph melted down in the opener against Sweden, Brodeur took the ball and never let it go. He held Finland and Belarus to a goal each in the first two rounds of the playoffs, then made 31 stops in a 5–2 win over Team USA to seal Canada’s first gold medal in 50 years. His toe save on Brett Hull with Canada clinging to a 2–1 lead will go down as one of the most clutch moments of his career.

1. March 17, 2009: Passing Patrick Roy

This is the one that defines him: the NHL’s all-time wins record. Brodeur made 30 stops, including a last-second kick save on Troy Brouwer, to lead New Jersey past the Blackhawks, 3–2, for his milestone 552nd career victory. He finished his career with 691 wins, a total so astronomical that it borders on the unbreakable. A goalie setting his sights on the mark today would need to record 40 wins in 17 consecutive seasons just to get to within hailing distance. Considering no other goaltender has more than three 40-win seasons on his resumé, the mark looks safe.

GALLERY: Brodeur Through The Years

Martin Brodeur Through the Years

Goaltending came naturally to Brodeur, whose father, Denis, played the position on the Canadian Olympic team that won the bronze medal in 1956. Raised in Montreal, Martin played forward as a kid—sewing the seeds of the stickhandling skills that would serve him so well in the NHL—before switching to goal at age seven. Though he idolized butterfly master Patrick Roy, Brodeur chose a standup style and developed superb mobility, instincts, positioning and puck-handling ability.

Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League by the Devils with the 20th pick in the 1990 draft, Brodeur made his NHL debut on March 26, 1992, with 24 saves in a 4-2 win over Boston.

After a full season in the AHL, Brodeur was added to the Devils' opening night roster for the 1993-94 season and went on to win the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year with a 27-11-8 record, 2.40 GAA and three shutouts, the first of his career coming on Oct. 20, 1993 vs. Anaheim.

As the Devils' new starting goalie, Brodeur played in 40 of their 48 games during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, going 19-11-6 with a 2.44 GAA. He was brilliant in the playoffs, holding Detroit to only seven goals in four finals games as the Devils won their first Stanley Cup.

During the 1995-96 season, Brodeur went 34-30-12 with a 2.34 GAA and .911 save percentage, beginning a record streak of 12 consecutive seasons of 30 or more wins, a run that included seven with 40 or more.

Blessed with a stifling defense in front of him, Brodeur led the NHL with a 1.88 GAA in 1996-97—becoming the first goaltender with a sub-1.90 since Bernie Parent of the Flyers in 1973-74. He also became the first since Montreal's Ken Dryden in 1976-77 to record 10 shutouts in a season.

In Game 1 of the 1997 Eastern quarterfinals vs. Montreal, Brodeur joined Philadelphia's Ron Hextall as the only goaltenders to score in the postseason by shooting the puck into the net. Brodeur's prowess with the stick and fondness for roaming from his crease to play the puck led to the current "Brodeur Rule" that confines such activity by goalies to a trapezoid that is eight feet out from each goal post and 28 feet wide at the boards behind the net.

In 1997-98, Brodeur led the NHL with 43 wins and posted 10 shutouts for the second straight season. He also became only the third goaltender (along with Hall of Famers Terry Sawchuk and Harry Lumley) to have back-to-back sub-2.00 GAA campaigns.

Again leading the NHL with 43 wins in 1999-2000 and tying Bernie Parent's combined mark of 59 combined regular- and postseason victories, Brodeur backstopped the Devils to their second Stanley Cup, which they won by beating the Dallas Stars in six games.

Seeking a repeat, Brodeur faced his childhood hero Patrick Roy in a memorable 2001 Stanley Cup Final, won by Colorado in seven games after the Avalanche rose from a three-games-to-two deficit. Roy denied the Devils a chance to win the Cup on home ice with a 4-0 win in Game 6, then completed the comeback with a 3-1 win in Colorado.

Leading the NHL with 73 appearances in 2001-02, Brodeur became the third-fastest goaltender to reach 300 career wins when he beat Ottawa 2-0 on Dec. 15, 2001.

Like his father, Martin has represented Canada in international play, most notably winning the gold medal at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City after posting a 4-0-1 mark with a 1.80 GAA in the tournament. It was the second of his four Olympic stints (he did not see action in 1998). He was also a member of Canada's 1996 and 2005 World Championship teams and '97 and '05 World Cup teams.

2003-Martin-Brodeur-sons-Jeremie-Anthony-William-Stanley-Cup-Vezina.jpg — Kevin Frayer/AP

Brodeur, seen here with sons Jeremy, Anthony and William, won his first Vezina Trophy for a 2002-03 campaign in which he became the first NHL netminder to have four 40-win seasons (surpassing Sawchuk and Jacques Plante). He was a complete miser in the postseason, setting an NHL mark of seven shutouts, including three vs. Anaheim in the finals, as the Devils won their third Stanley Cup.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Setting a single-season record of 48 wins in 2006-07, Brodeur won his third Vezina while also posting 12 shutouts.

On Nov. 17, 2007, Brodeur beat Philadelphia 6-2 to join Patrick Roy as the only members of the NHL's 500-wins club. His overall mark of 44-27-0-6, 2.17 GAA and four shutouts earned him his fourth Vezina in five seasons.

Jeff Zelevansky/Icon SMI; Bill Kostroun/AP

Again playing a role in the creation of a rule, Brodeur saw his rivalry with Sean Avery bubble over in Game 3 of the 2008 Eastern quarterfinal when the Rangers agitator stood waving his stick in the goaltender's face—this after Avery's two interference penalties in the series. The NHL was moved to instantly invoke an "Avery Rule" prohibiting such antics. After the Rangers eliminated the Devils in five games, Brodeur snubbed Avery in the handshake line, leading Avery to famously remark "I guess fatso forgot to shake my hand."

With anticipation building for his assault on Roy's career wins mark, Brodeur suffered a tear of the biceps tendon in his left elbow on Nov. 1, 2008, ending his streak of 70-plus-game seasons at 10. Returning to action on Feb. 26, 2009, he picked up where he left off with a 4-0 shutout of Colorado in which he made 24 saves.

2009-Martin-Brodeur-father-Denis-Patrick-Roy-551st-win.jpg — Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images; Paul Chiasson/AP

Brodeur joined Patrick Roy atop the NHL's victories list with a 3-1 win over the Canadiens on March 14, 2009. The night was made even sweeter because it came in Montreal, with his father (pictured w/camera) and Roy looking on, the banner bearing the former Canadien's recently-retired number (33) hanging over him, and the sell-out crowd chanting Brodeur's name.

Brodeur broke Patrick Roy's career record for goaltending victories, picking up his 552nd by turning back 30 shots in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on March 17, 2009. The victory came in Brodeur's 987th game of a 22-year career he played almost entirely with the Devils. In the spirit of March Madness, Brodeur took out a pair of scissors and cut the net. ''It's definitely harder than I thought,'' he quipped. ''These basketball players, it's only a little net. This was a big net. I had help from a couple of my teammates.''

On December 12, 2009 Brodeur reached yet another milestone when he shuts out Penguins 4-0, breaking Terry Sawchuk’s career NHL shutout record of 103. Nine days later the Devils legend blanked the Pens yet again to shatter George Hainsworth’s pro record of 104 pails of whitewash.

By blanking the Thrashers 3-0 at the Philips Center in Atlanta on April 6, 2010, Brodeur became the first NHL goalie to reach the 600-wins mark. The victory, his league-leading 43rd of the season, also extended his career shutout mark to 110.

Coming off his 14th and final 30-win regular season, Brodeur blanked the Florida Panthers, 4-0, in Game 4 the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals on April 19 to break Patrick Roy's career postseason shutout mark (23) and become only the second goaltender to reach 100 playoff wins.

2012-Martin-Brodeur-Anton-Volchenkov-Ryan-Carter-Johan-Hedberg.jpg — Rich Kane/Icon SMI

On May 25, 2012, the Devils beat the Rangers 3–2 thanks to Adam Henrique's goal in overtime, sending Brodeur to his fifth Stanley Cup finals appearance. New Jersey lost to the Los Angeles Kings in six games in what would turn out to be the 17th and final postseason of his career.

After missing a month of action due to a nerve injury in his back, Brodeur returned to the net on March 21, 2013 with some of his old stick magic, scoring a power play goal against the Carolina Hurricanes that made him the only NHL goalie to record three career tallies, and the second after Evgeni Nabokov of the Sharks to light the lamp with the man advantage.

After defeating Blue Jackets goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky in an online vote in June 2013, Brodeur won the honor of being the cover athlete on EA's NHL 14 video game.

After the Devils acquired the 208th pick in the 2013 NHL Draft from the Kings, Brodeur was given the very special privilege of making the announcement that New Jersey had selected his son, Anthony, 18, a goalie out of Minnesota's Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school, in the seventh and final round.

Unsigned as a free agent, Brodeur inked a one-year, $700,000 deal with the injury-plagued St. Louis Blues on Dec. 2, 2014. He concluded his legendary career with seven appearances, a 3-3-0 record, .899 save percentage and 2.87 GAA. On Jan. 29, 2015, he announced his retirement as the NHL's all-time leader in games played by a goalie (1,266), saves (28,928), wins (691), shutouts (125), and playoff shutouts (24).

The numbers game

• Martin Brodeur is the fourth player in Devils franchise history to have his number (30) retired. The others are Scott Stevens (No. 4 in 2006), Ken Daneyko (No. 3 in 2006) and Scott Niedermayer (No. 27 in 2011).

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• This is the 50th anniversary of the NHL’s expansion from the Original Six. On Feb. 9, 1966 the league’s Board of Governors awarded franchises to Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

• Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is working on the longest home goals streak (nine straight games) since Mario Lemieux scored in a franchise record 11 consecutive tilts in Pittsburgh. Crosby's seven consecutive games of lighting the lamp anywhere has tied Chicago’s Patrick Kane for the longest such run this season.

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