Posted by 
Team Canada goalies: Luongo, Brodeur, and Fleury
Photos courtesy of : Tom from 8L, Iwone Erskine-Kellie, C. P. Storm, and IMatthew – Wikimedia Commons
Prior to the Vancouver Canucks-New Jersey Devils game on Wednesday night, all the talk was naturally about the goaltending duel between the two frontrunners to start for Team Canada: Martin Brodeur, the elder statesman, vs. Roberto Luongo, the heir apparent.
After a first period in which five goals were scored (three by the Canucks, two by the Devils), many of the questionable variety, I’m sure many observers were thinking, gee, maybe Marc-Andre Fleury would be a good choice.
While Luongo did recover, blanking the Devils for the rest of the game and then the Philadelphia Flyers the next night, it shouldn’t be surprising that Fleury would be part of the discussion. After all, this is same goaltender that backstopped the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup last season and to the finals the season before. He already has 17 wins for the Pens this year, despite middling statistics (his 0.905 save percentage is ranked 32nd in the league, and his 2.45 goals against average is ranked 14th). The main factor working against Fleury being the Team Canada starter is his relative inexperience, especially internationally — the Vancouver Olympics will be his first. He played for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships in 2003 and 2004, winning silver medals in each year.
On the other end of the experience spectrum is Martin Brodeur. The future Hall of Famer’s resume is formidable: three Stanley Cups, four Vezina trophies, four Jennings trophies. Brodeur has played for Team Canada in the past three Olympics, winning gold in 2002 in Salt Lake City. He also won gold for Canada in the World Cup of Hockey in 2004. He continues his strong play this year (Wednesday’s game notwithstanding) with 15 wins for the Devils, with a 2.18 goals against average (ranked 5th) and 0.921 save percentage (7th).
In nearly every respect, Roberto Luongo fits in-between Fleury and Brodeur. Luongo backed up Brodeur at the 2006 Torino Olympics and in the 2004 World Cup; he started for Canada in the World Championships in 2004, where he won gold. This season, Luongo has overcome a slow start and an injury to post decent statistics: 0.916 save percentage (17th-ranked) and 2.41 goals against average (12th-ranked), as well as two shutouts (to Brodeur’s one and Fleury’s zero). Where Luongo falls short in comparison to the other two is NHL postseason success, although to be fair he has only played for two playoff-eligible teams (the 2006-07 and 2008-09 Canucks).
From a standpoint of experience, it makes the most sense to start the 37-year-old Brodeur again, especially considering there seems to have been no deterioration to his game yet. Luongo would prove again to be a very capable backup, ready to step in should Brodeur falter. Fleury would gain valuable experience for future Olympics (if NHLers continue to participate) and other world tourneys.
However, there are two arguments that can be made for starting Luongo. The first is that, given the disappointment of the Torino Olympics (where the Canadians failed to medal), starting Luongo over Brodeur would remove a connection to that bad experience. The second and more compelling reason is that the Olympics will be played in Luongo’s backyard, in an arena with which he is intimately familiar, with a majority of the crowd behind him. Would Luongo be able to handle that much added pressure? The starting goaltender for Team Canada, whoever it will be, will already be facing the scrutiny of an entire country. There can’t be much more pressure than that.
Derek Jung is a contributing writer covering the Vancouver Canucks for The Hockey Writers.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
Which Pens Will Play In The Olympics?
Who can question Brodeur?
The Return of Martin Brodeur
Theo Fleury Confronts His Demons In New Autobiography
The Pittsburgh Penguins: 2009 Stanley Cup Champions
Top 10 Team Canada Selection Day Surprises
We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, leaving a comment below is both appreciated and encouraged. Thanks!
This may be one of the biggest headlines throughout the entire Olympic hockey tournament. I’d imagine Babcock will rotate these 3 stellar metminders throughout the first 3 games of the round robin tournament (or at least 2 of them), and then opt for the hottest hand. A lot’s gonna happen between now and then, but it’s safe to say these are the three favorites in net for Team Canada.