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Martin Brodeur

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Martin Pierre Brodeur (born May 6, 1972, in Montreal, Quebec) is a professional ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 13-year tenure, he has led the team to three Stanley Cup championships and has taken them to the playoffs all but once. He holds more than thirty Devils franchise records, and assuming he remains healthy to play at least two more seasons, he is on pace to surpass Patrick Roy's career records for wins, games played and minutes played, as well as Terry Sawchuk's record for career shutouts, and Patrick Roy's record for career playoff shutouts.

Brodeur has been among the NHL's most consistent goaltenders over the past decade, winning at least 35 games each of the last ten seasons as well as being the only goalie in NHL history with six 40-win seasons. He is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, a four-time Jennings Trophy winner, a nine-time NHL All Star, and one of only two NHL goaltenders to have scored goals in the regular season and the playoffs. In the 2006-07 NHL season, Brodeur surpassed Sawchuk and Ed Belfour on the all-time wins list and Glenn Hall on the all-time shutouts list to rank 2nd in each of those categories. He also passed Bernie Parent's record of 47 single-season wins with his 48th win on April 5, 2007.

Brodeur is considered a hybrid style goalie, which differs from the typical butterfly style of his native Quebec. He is best known for his great reflexes, especially with his glove hand, his puck handling, and his strong positional play.

Early life

Brodeur's success followed his father Denis, who was considered an outstanding goaltender. He played in the 1956 Olympics for Team Canada, where he helped them win a bronze medal. After his playing career was over, Denis was a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. For more than 20 years, he attended all Montreal games and practices, and when Martin was old enough he came along. Martin dreamed of playing for the Canadiens, and he idolized their goaltender Patrick Roy.

However, Martin did not start out as a goalie himself, but rather, 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. Martin explained:

The next season my coach came up to me and said, 'Do you want to be a goalie or forward this year?' It was the biggest decision of my life, and I was seven years old. I don't know why I decided, but I thought it would be fun to play goal.
Brodeur's play in goal soon got him noticed by fans and scouts. In 1990 he made it to the Quebec Major Junior League, the same league that produced Roy, Felix Potvin and several other NHL goalies. While playing with the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser, he made the QMJHL All-Rookie team and the QMJHL 2nd All-Star Team in 1992. He played in the league for three years before being drafted.

NHL career

1990–1994

Brodeur was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, from Saint-Hyacinthe, in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. In the 1991-92 NHL season, he was called up to the Devils for four games during the regular-season when Devils' goaltenders Chris Terreri and Craig Billington became injured, and played in one playoff game. He spent most of the season and the entire following season with the Utica Devils of the AHL. However, in 1994 Brodeur gained recognition when he won the Calder Trophy, an annual award for the best rookie in the NHL, after leading the Devils to the second best record in the league and the Conference finals in the playoffs, where they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games. He finished 2nd in goals against average and 4th in save percentage during the regular season, helping him eventually land the starting job over Terreri.

The next season, which was shortened to forty-eight games due to a four month lockout that was focused on salary cap issues, the Devils finished tied for 9th overall, 5th in their conference, and were not considered a Stanley Cup contender. However, with the leadership of Brodeur, they defeated the Boston Bruins in the 1st round after shutting them out in three of their four wins. Brodeur had another stellar performance in the second round against Pittsburgh, where he gave up only eight goals and helped the Devils soundly defeat the Penguins in five games. In the third round the Devils defeated Philadelphia in six games, giving them their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in franchise history, opposite the heavily favoured Detroit Red Wings. But the strong play of Brodeur and the Devils' infamous "trap" method would make this series lopsided in favour of New Jersey, who would go on to sweep the Red Wings while holding them to only seven goals in four games. Brodeur now had a Stanley Cup in only his second full season in the NHL. After the victory, he was quoted as saying the following:

In the last game against Detroit, the time from ten minutes left to one minute left was probably the longest nine minutes of my life. But from one to zero was probably the greatest time I've ever had. I didn't want the clock to run out. It was such a great feeling: people crying in the stands, people jumping up and down, people cheering. Guys couldn't even sit up on the bench. It was probably the best minute of my life.

1995–1999

After a year of success, the Devils were in the middle of the pack for most of the 1995-96 NHL season and barely missed the playoffs. Brodeur played in 77 (of a possible 82) games, setting a single-season record for most minutes played by a goalie, while having the 2nd most shutouts 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 match.

In the 1996–97 season, the Devils finished 3rd in the NHL and played the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. In the first game of the series on April 17 1997, with the Devils up by two goals late in the game, 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 goalie had scored in the playoffs, and the 5th time overall. The Devils went on to win that series, but lost in the second round to the rival New York Rangers once again. Brodeur was runner-up for the Vezina, was named to his second all-star team, and had the lowest goals-against-average by a goalie in almost thirty years, earning him the Jennings Trophy. He also had 10 shutouts and a .927 save-percentage.

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, and took home 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, Devils lost in the first round of the playoffs yet again, this time to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was by far the worst playoff performance in Brodeur's 5-year career, as he allowed 20 goals in 7 games with an .856 save percentage.

1999–2003

During the 1999-2000 NHL 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 Simon Gagne 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 Flyer.

That season, Brodeur won 43 games for the second time in his career, and the Devils finished with the fourth seed 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 Finals, 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 tally 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. But with a 3–2 series lead and a game at Continental Airlines Arena to close out the series, a lack of offense, unnecessary penalties and mediocre play from Brodeur combined to lead to two consecutive losses and a Colorado Stanley Cup victory in seven games.

In the 2001-02 NHL 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 year, 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 Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He posted 3 shutouts against Anaheim and had a playoff total of 7 overall, breaking Dominik Hašek'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-Sébastien Giguère, 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.

2004–present

In the 2003-04 NHL 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 had obtained the 3-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.

After the lockout canceled the 2004-05 NHL season, Brodeur signed a contract extension with the Devils on January 27, 2006 that will pay him $31.2 million over six years. In the 2005-06 NHL season he posted 43 wins, adding on to 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.

During the time in between the lockout and the time the NHL returned, the league instituted a new rule preventing goaltenders from playing the puck behind the net beyond a trapezoid-shaped zone. This was viewed by many as singling out Brodeur, who is known for his puckhandling ability, and has come to be known as the "Brodeur Rule".

In the 2006-2007 NHL 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 9, 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 active goalie Ed Belfour of the Florida Panthers. Just a few weeks later on December 26, 2006, 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 childhood idol Patrick 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 would come back strong 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 5 games en route to a 4-1 series victory for the Senators.

On November 17, 2007 in a win against the Philadelphia Flyers, Brodeur continued his assault on the record books when he became the second goalie in NHL history to win 500 games in his career. The only other goalie to achieve the feat is Brodeur's childhood hero Patrick Roy. On January 4, 2008 Brodeur posted his 96th career shutout in a 3-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers.

He was named the starting goalie for the Eastern Conference in the 2007-2008 NHL All Star Game in Atlanta. However, he was unable to participate due to a family obligation. Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was named as his replacement as a reserve.

International play

Brodeur was selected as Team Canada's backup goalie to Patrick Roy for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, but did not get to play. According to his book, he has never forgiven Roy for demanding to start every game. 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 won gold for Canada, playing in every game except the tournament opener against Sweden. He had the best GAA in the tournament and went undefeated, stopping 31 of 33 shots in the Gold Medal victory over Team USA.

He then led Team Canada to a World Cup of Hockey championship in 2004, allowing only 5 goals in 5 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 is arguably the top goaltender in the world right now. Fresh off a World Cup win in 2004, and another strong performance at the 2005 IIHF World hockey championships. Also, he's still among the best puck-handling goaltenders in the game, though the NHL's new rule changes may somewhat alter that effectiveness.

Brodeur was most recently selected as the starter for Team Canada 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.

Overall, Brodeur has played for Canada in:

Personal life

Martin and Melanie Dubois (a native of Saint-Liboire, Quebec, Canada) were married in 1995, and have four children. Their first son Anthony was born in 1995, and the following year they had twin sons, William and Jeremy. In 2002 they had a daughter, Annabelle Antoinette. Melanie Brodeur filed for divorce in 2003 after it was revealed that he was having an affair with his sister-in-law Genevieve Nault. Melanie reportedly called him before every playoff game to taunt him and tell him who she was currently dating. The incident added some fuel to the fire for hecklers during the playoffs. In a 2003 second round playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a notable sign held up read "Tickets to a Stanley Cup playoff game: $95. Alimony demanded from your wife: $9 million. Sex with your sister-in-law: Priceless" in the context of the MasterCard hockey commercials.

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

In 2005, Brodeur started co-authoring his autobiography with long-time Toronto Star columnist and ESPN contributor Damien Cox. Entitled Brodeur: Beyond the Crease, it 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. 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 Martin's father, Denis.

Brodeur resides in West Orange, New Jersey near the Devils former practice facility.

Career statistics

Bolded numbers indicate league leader.

Regular season

Records are through the 2006–07 season.
Season Team League GP W L T OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1989–90 Saint-Hyacinthe Laser QMJHL 42 23 13 2 -- 2333 156 0 4.01 --
1990–91 Saint-Hyacinthe Laser QMJHL 52 22 24 4 -- 2946 162 2 3.30 --
1991–92 Saint-Hyacinthe Laser QMJHL 48 27 16 4 -- 2846 161 2 3.39 --
1991–92 New Jersey Devils NHL 4 2 1 0 -- 179 10 0 3.35 .882
1992–93 Utica Devils AHL 32 14 13 5 -- 1952 131 0 4.03 .884
1993–94 New Jersey Devils NHL 47 27 11 8 -- 2625 105 3 2.40 .915
1994–95 New Jersey Devils NHL 40 19 11 6 -- 2184 89 3 2.45 .902
1995–96 New Jersey Devils NHL 77 34 30 12 -- 4434 173 6 2.34 .911
1996–97 New Jersey Devils NHL 67 37 14 13 -- 3838 120 10 1.88 .927
1997–98 New Jersey Devils NHL 70 43 17 8 -- 4128 130 10 1.89 .917
1998–99 New Jersey Devils NHL 70 39 21 10 -- 4239 162 4 2.29 .906
1999–00 New Jersey Devils NHL 72 43 20 8 -- 4312 161 6 2.24 .910
2000–01 New Jersey Devils NHL 72 42 17 11 -- 4297 166 9 2.32 .906
2001–02 New Jersey Devils NHL 73 38 26 9 -- 4347 156 4 2.15 .906
2002–03 New Jersey Devils NHL 73 41 23 9 -- 4374 147 9 2.02 .914
2003–04 New Jersey Devils NHL 75 38 26 11 -- 4554 154 11 2.03 .917
2005–06 New Jersey Devils NHL 73 43 23 -- 7 4364 187 5 2.57 .911
2006–07 New Jersey Devils NHL 78 48 23 NA 7 4697 171 12 2.18 .922
NHL Totals 891 494 263 105 14 52,573 1,931 92 2.20 .913
QMJHL Totals 142 72 53 10 -- 8125 479 4 3.53 --

Playoffs

Season Team League GP W L MIN GA SO GAA
1989–90 Saint-Hyacinthe Laser QMJHL 12 5 7 678 46 0 4.07
1990–91 Saint-Hyacinthe Laser QMJHL 4 0 4 232 16 0 4.17
1991–92 Saint-Hyacinthe Laser QMJHL 5 2 3 317 14 0 2.64
1991–92 New Jersey Devils NHL 1 0 1 32 3 0 5.62
1992–93 Utica Devils AHL 4 1 3 258 18 0 4.18
1993–94 New Jersey Devils NHL 17 8 9 1171 38 1 1.95
1994–95 New Jersey Devils NHL 20 16 4 1222 34 3 1.67
1996–97 New Jersey Devils NHL 10 5 5 659 19 2 1.73
1997–98 New Jersey Devils NHL 6 2 4 366 12 0 1.97
1998–99 New Jersey Devils NHL 7 3 4 425 20 0 2.83
1999–00 New Jersey Devils NHL 23 16 7 1450 39 2 1.61
2000–01 New Jersey Devils NHL 25 15 10 1505 52 4 2.07
2001–02 New Jersey Devils NHL 6 2 4 381 9 1 1.42
2002–03 New Jersey Devils NHL 24 16 8 1491 41 7 1.65
2003–04 New Jersey Devils NHL 5 1 4 298 13 0 2.62
2005–06 New Jersey Devils NHL 9 5 4 473 17 1 2.25
2006–07 New Jersey Devils NHL 11 5 6 688 28 1 2.44
NHL Totals 164 94 70 10,219 328 22 1.93
QMJHL Totals 21 7 14 1227 76 0 3.71

International

Bolded numbers indicate tournament leader
Year Team Event   GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1996 Canada WC 3 0 1 1 140 8 0 3.43
1996 Canada WCH 2 0 1 0 60 4 0 4.00
1998 Canada Oly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --
2002 Canada Oly 5 4 0 1 300 9 0 1.80
2004 Canada WCH 5 5 0 0 300 5 1 1.00
2005 Canada WC 7 5 2 0 419 20 0 2.87
2006 Canada Oly 4 2 2 0 238 8 0 2.01
Senior Int'l Totals 26 16 6 2 1477 54 1 2.19

Legacy

Milestones

Brodeur is the youngest goaltender in NHL history to reach the 300, 400 and 500th regular season win plateaus. 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 Miami, 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. He reached the 500 win plateau on November 17, 2007 against the Philadelphia Flyers, with a 6 to 2 win; Brodeur is second only to Patrick Roy who retired with 551 wins in regular season NHL games.

On December 23, 2007, he recorded his 95th career shutout by blanking the Calgary Flames 1-0 in overtime. The shutout places him second all-time to Sawchuck (103 Shutouts), breaking a tie with George Hainsworth.

Records

In over fourteen seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Brodeur has acquired more than thirty franchise records, including most all-time, regular season and playoff wins, shutouts, games and minutes played by a goalie, shots faced, points by a goalie, losses, ties, and goals allowed as well as lowest goals-against-average and highest save percentage. He is also on several notable NHL records lists:

  • 2nd place — Most wins (529)
  • 2nd place — Most shutouts (96)
  • 1st place - Combined shutouts (118) - Both regular season and playoffs
  • Most overtime wins (45)
  • Most consecutive 30-win seasons (12)
  • Most consecutive 35-win seasons (11)
  • Most 40-win seasons (6)
  • Only NHL goalie to score a game-winning goal
  • One of only two NHL goalies to score a goal in
    both the regular season and the playoffs

  • Most wins in a single season (48, in 2006–07)
  • Most minutes played in a single season (4697, in 2006–07)

  • Most shutouts in a playoff year (7, in 2002–03)
  • 1st place — Most shutouts (22)

  • Most shutouts in a Stanley Cup Finals (3, in 2002–03)**

  • 2nd place — Most wins (94)
  • 3rd goaltender to win the Stanley Cup with a game seven shutout (in 2002–03)
  • 1st goaltender in history to have 3 shutouts in 2 different playoff series. (1995 against Boston in the Conference Quarterfinals, 2003 against Anaheim in the Stanley Cup Finals.)


Awards

See also

References

Footnotes

External links



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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 14:35:35 PDT (GMT -0700)
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