Martin Brodeur

Early life

Brodeur's success followed his father Denis, who played in the 1956 Olympics for Team Canada and won a bronze medal. After his playing career, Denis was a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. For more than 20 years, he attended all Montreal games and practices, and when Brodeur was old enough, he came along. Brodeur idolized their goaltender Patrick Roy.

Brodeur started playing hockey as a forward. His goaltending career began when his coach asked him if he wanted to play as a backup at the position in a youth tournament. Brodeur explained:

Brodeur's play in goal was soon noticed by fans and scouts. In 1990, he made it to the Quebec Major Junior League. While playing with the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser, Brodeur made the QMJHL All-Rookie team and the QMJHL 2nd All-Star Team in 1992.

Brodeur was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the first round (20th overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.

1991–95

In the 1991–92 NHL season, Brodeur spent most of his time with the Utica Devils of the AHL, but was called up to the NHL on an emergency basis for four games when New Jersey's goaltenders Chris Terreri and Craig Billington became injured. Brodeur won his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins, 4–2, and played in one playoff game that season. Brodeur spent the following season in the AHL with Utica. However, in the 1993–94 season, Brodeur returned to the NHL permanently and gained recognition when he won the Calder Trophy, an annual award for the best rookie in the NHL. He led the Devils to the second-best record in the league and the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs, where they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games. He finished 2nd in goals against average (GAA) (2.40) and 4th in save percentage (.915) in 47 games played during the regular season, helping him eventually land the starting job over Terreri.

In the 1994–95 NHL season, which was shortened to 48 games due to a four-month lockout, the Devils finished tied for 9th overall, 5th in their conference, and they were not considered a Stanley Cup contender. With the leadership of Brodeur, they defeated the Boston Bruins in the 1st round, shutting them out in three of their four wins. In the second round against Pittsburgh, Brodeur gave up only eight goals and helped the Devils defeat the Penguins in five games. In the third round, the Devils defeated Philadelphia in six games, giving them their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history, against the heavily favoured Detroit Red Wings. The strong play of Brodeur and the Devils' infamous "trap" method made the series lopsided in favour of New Jersey, who swept the Red Wings 4 games to 0 while holding them to only seven goals in four games. Brodeur won a Stanley Cup in only his second full season in the NHL. After the victory, he was quoted as saying:

1995–99

After a year of success, the Devils were in the middle of the pack for most of the 1995–96 season and barely missed the playoffs. Brodeur played in 74 of his team's 82 games, setting a single-season record for most minutes played by a goalie, while having the 2nd-most shutouts (6) in the league. He was named the starter in the All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference and stopped all 12 shots he faced. He finished fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded to the league's top goaltender. Brodeur also played on Team Canada during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, where Canada lost to the United States in the gold medal finals.

In the 1996–97 season, the Devils finished 3rd in the NHL. Brodeur was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, was named to the All-Star team, and had the lowest goals against average by a goalie in almost 30 years, earning him the Jennings Trophy. He also had 10 shutouts and a .927 save percentage. On April 17, 1997, in the first game of a first-round playoff matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, Brodeur fired the puck the length of the ice and into the Canadiens' empty net to ensure a 5–2 victory. It was only the second time in NHL history that a goaltender had scored in the playoffs, and the fifth time overall. The Devils went on to win that series, but lost in the second round to the rival New York Rangers.

The following year, Brodeur had 43 wins and 10 shutouts in the regular season. The Devils finished first in the Eastern Conference, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators. Once again, Brodeur made the All-Star Team, finished as a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, and won the Jennings Trophy.

In the 1998–99 season, the Devils finished first in the Eastern Conference for the third straight year, with Brodeur winning 39 games. He was among the contenders for the Vezina Trophy and started in the All-Star game, making his fourth appearance. However, the Devils lost in the first round to the Penguins. It was the worst playoff performance in Brodeur's five-year career, as he allowed 20 goals in seven games with an .856 save percentage.

1999–2004

During the 1999–2000 season, on February 15, 2000, Brodeur was credited with his second career goal, as Brodeur was the last Devils player on the ice to touch the puck before Daymond Langkow of the Philadelphia Flyers accidentally put the puck into his own empty net during a delayed penalty call against the Devils. Brodeur had previously tapped the puck behind his net, stopping an attempted wrap-around by a Philadelphia Flyer.

That season, Brodeur won 43 games for the second time in his career, and the Devils finished with the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference after losing the division to the Philadelphia Flyers by two points. Brodeur helped the Devils sweep the Florida Panthers in the first round, giving up only six goals in four games. In the next round against the Toronto Maple Leafs he recorded two shutouts, including one in the final game of the series as the Devils went on to win four games to two, setting up a showdown with rival Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Flyers took a commanding 3–1 series lead and had home ice to close out the series, but Brodeur gave up only one goal in each of the remaining three games of the series, propelling the Devils to the surprising come from behind series victory in 7 games. They went on to play the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Final, who had a higher seed but fewer regular season points, giving the Devils home ice advantage in the series. After taking game one with a 7-goal rally against Dallas, the Devils were led by Brodeur the rest of the way as he gave up only six goals in the next five games, giving the team their second Stanley Cup Championship in six years.

The next year, Brodeur topped the 40-win mark for the third time in his career, despite having an average GAA and save-percentage throughout the season. He played in the All-Star Game for the 6th consecutive season, and helped the Devils earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round Brodeur recorded two shutouts against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Devils took the series in six games. After struggling to beat 7th-seeded Toronto in seven games, the Devils had little trouble defeating the 6th-seeded Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals, where Brodeur added two more shutouts, both on the road. In their second straight Stanley Cup finals appearance, the Devils played a back-and-forth series against the top seeded Colorado Avalanche, and lost in seven games.

In the 2001–02 season, Brodeur finished among the league leaders in wins and GAA. Brodeur continued to lead the league in victories and remained a Vezina and MVP candidate. The next season, in 2002–03, Brodeur finally achieved what had been eluding him his whole career: the Vezina Trophy. He also won the Jennings Trophy again, was a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist for the league's Most Valuable Player, and was named a 1st Team All-Star and started in the All-Star Game. With one of the most impressive playoff performances of his career, Brodeur guided the Devils to their third Stanley Cup victory after dramatic seven-game series wins against the top-seeded Ottawa Senators and the surprising 7th-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He posted 3 shutouts against Anaheim and had a playoff total of 7 overall, breaking Dominik Hasek's NHL record of 6 (Hasek had recorded his 6 shutouts for Detroit the previous year). Despite this, the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP was awarded to Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who became the first player not on the championship team to be named playoff MVP since Ron Hextall of Philadelphia in 1987. Some hockey writers speculated a New Jersey player did not win because there were multiple candidates, resulting in a split vote among the sportswriters who selected the winner. In the 2003–04 season, Brodeur won his second consecutive Vezina Trophy and Jennings trophy. He was also a first Team All-Star, a starter in the NHL All-Star Game, and a finalist for the Hart Trophy again. The Devils lost the Atlantic Division title by 1 point to the Philadelphia Flyers, who thus obtained the third seed and home ice advantage against the sixth-seeded Devils in the first round of the playoffs. This would be too much for Brodeur and the Devils to overcome, as the Flyers went on to defeat them in five games.

The Brodeur Rule

After the 2004–05 lockout and before the start of the 2005–06 season, the league instituted a new rule preventing goaltenders from playing the puck behind the goal line, except within a trapezoid-shaped zone located behind the net. The trapezoid begins at the goal line with angled lines six feet from each goal post and widens to 28 feet at the end boards. Former Flyers general manager Bobby Clarke was one of the leaders in getting the trapezoid implemented. This was viewed by many as singling out Brodeur, who was one of the best at getting behind the net to handle the puck, and has come to be known as the "Brodeur Rule".

At the 2009 NHL General Managers' Meeting, it was discussed whether the rule should be eliminated as a solution to the increasing number of injuries on defenseman who are being hit hard by forechecking forwards. The forecheckers were no longer impeded by defencemen holding them up because of the crackdown on interference which created situations where defencemen were being hit at high speeds. Brodeur believed that revoking the trapezoid could result in more scoring and more exciting games. He explained, "If you give the liberty to the goalies to play the puck, they'll mess up more than they're successful." He also expressed his concern for defencemen, "It's a no-brainer if they want to start to eliminate these huge hits for the defencemen... Whenever my defencemen or somebody was getting a big hit, I felt guilty that I let that guy get hit like that. Now, I've got to sit and watch all the time... You've got to try to find something because so many guys are getting hurt." At the time of his statement, Devils defencemen Paul Martin, Johnny Oduya and Bryce Salvador were all out with injuries.

Ultimately the suggestion was rejected and the rule stayed in place. Toronto Maple Leafs former GM Brian Burke said, "We had originally approved a rule where the goaltenders couldn't handle the puck behind the net at all. The game was turning into a tennis match. You'd dump it in and the goalie would throw it out and now with the soft chip into the corner it turns into a puck battle and a forecheck opportunity, which is what we wanted."

2005–09

After the 2004–05 NHL lockout canceled the 2004–05 season, Brodeur signed a contract extension with the Devils on January 27, 2006, that would pay him $31.2 million over six years. In the 2005–06 season he posted 43 wins, adding onto his NHL records of what was now five 40-win seasons and ten consecutive 30-win seasons. After struggling early in the season, his impressive play later on made him a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the third straight year, and helped lead the Devils to a surprising comeback in the last two months of the season that resulted in them winning the Atlantic Division in the final game of the year. In the first round of the playoffs, he beat the Rangers for the first time in his career, leading the Devils to a four-game sweep. But a 4–1 series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Devils in the next round.

In the 2006–07 season, Brodeur made his ninth NHL All-Star Game appearance in Dallas, Texas, won his third Vezina Trophy and rose on several NHL records lists. On December 8, 2006, he posted a 2–0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers for his 462nd career win, moving him into 2nd place on the all-time list ahead of Ed Belfour. Just a few weeks later, on December 26, Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 to record his 85th career shutout, moving him past Glenn Hall for 3rd place on that all-time list and 1st place among all active goalies. On February 1, 2007, Brodeur beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6–5 in overtime to take the all-time lead in overtime (non-shootout) wins with 45, passing Roy. The Devils first 38 wins of the season were all with Brodeur in net, leading him to set a NHL record for most consecutive wins for a team.

On April 3, 2007, Brodeur tied the NHL record for most wins in a single season with 47, set by Bernie Parent in 1973–74, in a 2–1 shootout victory against the Ottawa Senators. Two days later, he broke the record with his 48th win in a 3–2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, which helped the Devils clinch their seventh Atlantic Division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the seventh-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning, Brodeur started out shaky and the Devils fell behind two-games-to-one. He rebounded, however, to finish the series, and helped the team advance in six games, while passing Grant Fuhr for second place in all-time playoff victories. In the second round against the Ottawa Senators, Brodeur could not continue his stellar play and allowed 15 goals in only five games en route to a 4–1 series defeat to the Senators.

In the 2007–08 season, Brodeur became the second goalie in NHL history to reach 500 wins with a victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 17, 2007. The only other goalie to achieve the feat is Patrick Roy. Brodeur was also named the starting goalie for the Eastern Conference in the 2007–08 NHL All Star Game in Atlanta. However, he was unable to participate because of a family obligation. New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro took over as starter of the game, while Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas took the last spot for goalies.

After losing a bitter series against the rival New York Rangers in the opening round of the 2008 NHL playoffs, Brodeur refused to shake Sean Avery's hand. During game three of the series, in an unusual move, Avery turned to face Brodeur during a 5-on-3 power play, and began waving his hands and stick in front of Brodeur's face in an effort to distract him. The day after this game the NHL announced that it had revised its unsportsmanlike conduct rule, now known as The Sean Avery Rule, effectively outlawing such antics.

Brodeur started wearing a new painted mask design for the 2008–09 NHL season with a stylized "MB30" on the front, replacing the "J" that had been on his mask for his entire NHL career. During a game on November 1, 2008, Brodeur suffered a "bruised elbow" which would later be diagnosed as a torn distal biceps tendon, the first major injury in his career. Following surgery on November 6, he would miss 16 weeks of the season before playing his next game on February 26, 2009. Upon returning from the injury, Brodeur registered a 4–0 shutout against the Colorado Avalanche for his 99th career shutout. Three days later, he recorded his 100th career shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers, three short of Terry Sawchuk's NHL record.

2009–14

Beginning in 2009, Brodeur broke a number of career records for goaltenders, including:

On December 30, 2009, Brodeur and the Devils shut out the Penguins, 2–0. It was his 105th career shutout, giving him the all-time professional record, surpassing George Hainsworth's total of 104 combined in the NHL (94) and Western Canada Hockey League (10). On April 6, 2010, Brodeur reached his 600th career win by defeating the Thrashers 3–0. This was also his 110th career shutout.

In the 2009–10 NHL season, Brodeur led the NHL in wins (45), shutouts (9), games played (77) and minutes played (4,499). He also won his fifth Jennings Trophy and had the third-best GAA in the league, leading his team to back-to-back division wins that included a 6–0 regular-season sweep of the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the Devils lost in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the seventh-seeded team Philadelphia Flyers in five games. Brodeur went on to record 23 wins during the 2010–11 NHL season, which saw the Devils slump during the first half of the season, only to miss the playoffs narrowly after a hot winning streak during the season's latter half.

The Devils returned to the playoffs in the 2011–12 NHL season, as Brodeur recorded his 14th 30-win season. In Game 1 of the conference quarterfinals against the Florida Panthers, Brodeur became only the second goaltender to record 100 playoff wins in a 3–2 Devils victory. In Game 4 with a 4–0 victory, Brodeur broke the NHL career playoff shutout record with his 24th, surpassing Patrick Roy, who had 23.

On May 25, 2012, Brodeur and the Devils defeated the New York Rangers 3–2 on an overtime goal by Adam Henrique, leading to Brodeur's fifth Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Devils lost in the Finals to the Los Angeles Kings in six games.

During the off-season of 2012, Brodeur hired agent Pat Brisson leading many to believe he would test free-agency. However, on July 2, 2012, Brodeur agreed to a two-year, $9 million deal to remain with the Devils, alongside backup goalie Johan Hedberg.

On March 21, 2013, in his first game back from a month-long absence due to a pinched nerve injury in his upper back, Brodeur was credited with a power play goal against the Carolina Hurricanes, making him the only NHL goalie to record three career goals, and the second goalie to have scored on the power play (Evgeni Nabokov was the first). On June 28, 2013, it was announced that Brodeur would be the cover athlete for EA's NHL 14 video game. He defeated finalist Sergei Bobrovsky in an online vote.

On June 7, 2014, Brodeur told ESPN he would test the free agency market for the 2014-15 season, ending his 21-year tenure with the Devils.

St. Louis Blues

On November 26, 2014 Brodeur signed a tryout contract with the St. Louis Blues after their starting netminder, Brian Elliott, was injured. A week later, on December 2, Brodeur signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Blues.

On January 27, 2015, it was reported that Brodeur had decided to retire from the NHL. Brodeur announced the news at a press conference two days later.

Post-NHL career

Upon announcing his retirement, Brodeur was hired by the Blues as a special assistant to GM Doug Armstrong. On May 22, 2015, Armstrong announced that Brodeur and the Blues had agreed to a three-year contract naming Brodeur as an assistant general manager of the team.

International play

Brodeur was selected as Team Canada's back-up goalie to Patrick Roy for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, but did not get to play. Canada failed to win a medal after losing the bronze-medal match to Finland, a game in which many people thought Brodeur should have played.

In the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake City, Utah, Brodeur was initially named the backup behind Curtis Joseph. But following Joseph's losing the tournament opener against Sweden, Brodeur was named the starting goaltender the rest of the way, and won gold for Canada. He had the best GAA in the tournament and went undefeated, stopping 31 of 33 shots in the gold-medal victory over Team USA.

Brodeur then led Team Canada to a World Cup of Hockey championship in 2004, allowing only 5 goals in five games. He led all goalies in GAA and save percentage while going undefeated. He had another impressive performance for the team at the world hockey championships in the following year. After this, The Sports Forecaster 2005–06 said the following:

Brodeur was selected as Team Canada's starter in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He started in 4 of 6 games, but Canada failed to win a medal after losing to Russia in the quarterfinals.

He was one of the three goalies on Team Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. He registered a shootout win against Switzerland and a loss to the United States. After the loss to the US, he was benched for the remainder of the 2010 Games in favour of Roberto Luongo.

Brodeur has played for Canada in:

Personal life

Brodeur married Melanie Dubois (a native of Saint-Liboire, Quebec) in August 1995 and has four children: Anthony, born in 1995; twin sons, William and Jeremy, born in 1996; and Annabelle Antoinette, born in 2002. Melanie filed for divorce during the 2003 playoffs amid reports that Brodeur was having an affair with Genevieve Nault, the wife of Melanie's brother. The incident added some fuel to the fire for hecklers during the playoffs. The reports proved to be true, as he and Genevieve married in June 2008. Their first child together, Maxime Philippe Brodeur, was born in November 2009.

Brodeur is regarded as an engaging raconteur in his spare time. He has hosted a street hockey tournament in his hometown of St. Leonard, Quebec, for each of the Devils' Stanley Cup championships, where he plays his childhood position of forward. His oldest brother, Denis Jr., is a photographer like their father, and his other older brother, Claude, was a pitcher in the Montreal Expos' farm system. He has two sisters, Line and Sylvie.

In 2005, Brodeur began co-authoring his autobiography, Brodeur: Beyond the Crease, with long-time Toronto Star columnist and ESPN contributor Damien Cox, which was released in October 2006. Some of the things Brodeur talks about in the book are player salaries and contracts, NHL marketing, Lou Lamoriello, and the Devils' new arena in Newark, the Prudential Center. Brodeur also includes his views on the "new NHL" after the lockout, and how it affects his career. The book's photographs were shot by Brodeur's late father, Denis.

Brodeur co-owns a business called "La Pizzeria Etc." with former teammate Sheldon Souray. The idea came about after Souray was traded to play in Montreal, the city in which the business now operates. Brodeur is also co-owner of the Spa d'Howard, also based in his native Quebec.

Brodeur was a resident of North Caldwell, New Jersey, and currently resides in West Orange, New Jersey, near the Devils former practice facility, South Mountain Arena. He became a naturalized United States citizen on December 1, 2009, but per IIHF rules would only be able to compete for Canada. In the summer months, he lives in Morin-Heights, Quebec.

On June 30, 2013, the Devils traded for the 208th pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and Brodeur was asked to make the announcement to select his son, Anthony. In August of 2015, Anthony signed with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League.

Career statistics

Bolded numbers indicate league leader.

Italicized numbers indicate NHL records.

International

Bolded numbers indicate tournament leader.

Milestones

Brodeur is the youngest goaltender in NHL history to reach the 300, 400 and 500 regular season win plateaus, and is the only goaltender to reach 600 regular season wins (at the end of the 2013−14 season, he stood at 688 wins). His 300th victory came on December 15, 2001, with a 39-save shutout against the Ottawa Senators at the Corel Centre. His 400th victory was on March 23, 2004, at the Office Depot Center in Sunrise, Florida, as the Devils defeated the hometown Florida Panthers. Brodeur stopped twenty-one shots, and needed to work overtime to get the win. With the victory he also became the first goaltender to win 400 games playing every game for the same team. Brodeur reached the 500 win plateau on November 17, 2007, against the Philadelphia Flyers, with a 6–2 win. On March 15, 2008, he earned his seventh 40-win season of his career, the most of any goaltender in NHL history. On April 6, 2010, Brodeur reached 600 wins with a 3–0 shutout over the Atlanta Thrashers. On April 5, 2012, in a 2–1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, he reached his 14th 30-win season, again the most of any NHL goaltender.

On March 14, 2009, Brodeur recorded his 551st career win against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre to tie Patrick Roy for the most in NHL history in his hometown and where Roy played the first half of his career. To acknowledge their fellow countryman, the crowd of Canadiens fans chanted Brodeur's name at the end of the game and gave him a standing ovation. Brodeur's father Denis was at the game taking pictures. Three nights later, in a 3–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Brodeur became the all-time NHL leader in regular season wins by a goaltender with 552.

On November 27, 2009, Brodeur broke the record for most minutes ever played by an NHL goaltender, breaking Patrick Roy's record of 60,235.

On December 7, 2009, Brodeur tied Sawchuk's record for regular season shutouts at 103 in a 3–0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Twelve nights later, Brodeur broke the record set by Patrick Roy for games played by a goaltender in the National Hockey League (1,030 games). Two weeks after tying Sawchuk's shutout record, Brodeur recorded his 104th regular season shutout, breaking Sawchuk's record with a 4–0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, stopping all 35 shots. On December 30, 2009, Brodeur and the Devils again shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2–0. It was his 105th career shutout, giving him the all-time professional record, surpassing George Hainsworth's total of 104 combined in the NHL (94) and Western Canada Hockey League (10).

On April 19, 2012, Brodeur passed Patrick Roy's record for most career playoff shutouts at 24 in a 4–0 victory over the Florida Panthers.

On January 22, 2013, Brodeur posted his 120th career shutout in the regular season with a 24-save 3–0 victory over the Flyers.

On June 28, 2013, EA revealed that Brodeur had been selected as the cover athlete for NHL 14.

On December 14, 2013, Brodeur posted his 124th career shutout in the regular season with a 33-save 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Records

In over 16 seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Brodeur holds several notable NHL records as listed below. Most of these records Brodeur has broken were held by goalies who have played at least a full 20-year career.

Career

NHL records as of December 29, 2014

Regular season

Playoffs

These statistics are accurate as of the end of the 2012 NHL Playoffs.

Brodeur is second all-time in playoff games played (to Patrick Roy's 247), playoff wins (to Roy's 151), games played in a single regular season (to Grant Fuhr's 79 in the 1996–97 season), and eighth all-time in goals-against average (minimum 250 NHL games played). Brodeur also acquired more than 30 franchise records, including most all-time regular season and playoff wins, shutouts, lowest goals-against-average, and is second in games played (1205) as a Devil to Ken Daneyko's 1283 games. The only major awards he did not win are the Hart Trophy given to the regular season's most valuable player, and the Conn Smythe Trophy, granted annually to the most outstanding player in the postseason.