Greatest of all time or not, Brodeur is best franchise goaltender ever
Is it really important to call Martin Brodeur the greatest NHL goalie of all time?
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| A cheerful Martin Brodeur displays the stick used to record the milestone win. (Getty Images) |
But impressive as they are, the numbers -- and they could be unsurpassable by the time he hangs them up in a few years -- shouldn’t necessarily be what defines Brodeur’s place in history nor his standing in the ultimate pecking order of his position. They don’t really tell you what sets him apart.
Think about it. Among contemporaries, Dominik Hasek won more Vezinas than Brodeur while Roy won more Stanley Cups along with three Conn Smythes as playoff MVP. And among those from earlier eras, legends like Terry Sawchuk and Jacques Plante played in the days of train travel and before the NHL instituted tiebreaker formulas that helped increase the wins totals for netminders. Legitimate cases could be many for any of them and probably for several others to be recognized as the 'greatest.'
What you can’t say though is that there has been a greater 'franchise goaltender' than Brodeur since he joined the Devils in 1993. GM Lou Lamoriello created a quasi dynasty during Brodeur’s era precisely because of the goalie he drafted in a first round and used as his foundation. Superstars like Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Alexander Mogilny all impacted the Devils lineup over the years, but the constant thread, and the reason New Jersey has remained an annual contender despite having changing so many key parts has been Brodeur.
Brodeur long ago made a pact with the Devils when he decided to become a lifer with the organization. Since then he has negotiated his own deals and re-signed for less money than he could have made as a free agent so that New Jersey could keep talented players around him. Along the way, he has helped define an era for a team that at one stage of his career, set the standard for the way the game was most effectively played. The trap days are now basically gone from the NHL, but the Devils have adapted and managed to stay among the elite organizations, largely because they have a goaltender who has always given them a chance to win no matter what type of game they have to play.
That he set the record was inevitable when the season began, yet it is still remarkable in how quickly it came after Brodeur returned from the first serious long term injury of his career. Brodeur was just seven wins short of Roy when he tore a bicep muscle in November and ended up missing 50 games, but he returned to action with a shutout and has lost just one of his seven starts since. He just hasn’t missed a beat and he hasn’t let the chase become a distraction, which says as much about Brodeur's character as it does about what he brings to the team.
Now the focus will be on things that really matter to Brodeur, the march to another potential conference crown and the Stanley Cup. Brodeur will enter the playoffs better rested than at any time during his career, and that should be a scary thought for anyone getting a postseason date with the Devils.
Even for those who don’t call him the 'greatest.'
