Who can question Brodeur?

By Jon Gabrielle,  Special to The Hockey Writers

Heading into the 2010 Winter Olympic games in Vancouver, Martin Brodeur, the future Hall of Fame goaltender of the New Jersey Devils, surely is ready to lead his country, on it’s home soil, to the Gold Medal. No one dares question that. Not even Brodeur himself.

In reference to his latest game, Brodeur said, “People can talk all they want…I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge of defending our country and going out there and playing well.”

Brodeur best ever? (photo by Francisco Diez/flickr)

With 7 shutouts already this season, including his record setting 104th, he broke Terry Sawchuk’s all-time mark that many thought was untouchable. Some likening it to Joe Dimaggio’s 56 game hitting streak, who better to have guarding your net on the world stage! Not to mention that two of those whitewashes came at the expense of the Stanley Cup Champion, Pittsburgh Penguins and international teammate, Sidney Crosby.

After opening the season with two losses, Brodeur went on to win 29 of his next 40 decisions. Further cementing his position as the favorite for the number one spot on the Olympic roster over Roberto Luongo. The latter having never won a championship, Memorial nor Stanley, a fact not lost on the hockey savvy nation north of the border.

Talk of the “best goaltender of all time” was eminating across the Great White North while Canada’s chances for Gold were looking better each time Brodeur laced up his skates…and that was plenty.

Never mind, Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden or Terry Sawchuk!  Johnny Bower, Tony Esposito and Bernie who, you ask? Patrick Roy, perhaps? But this is now.  And according to these cultural times, where information disseminates faster than a Bobby Hull slap shot, and you’re only as good as your last appearence on Youtube, a resounding, “what have you done for us lately?” can be heard in cyberspace.

No,in 2010, if Brodeurs record’s haven’t proved he’s the greatest, the blogosphere has duly annointed him.

Entering Olympic competition, the 37 year old Brodeur had started an astounding 58 games. All but three of the Devils’ 61 games to date.

Any chatter that the well-mannered, affable goalie could be playing to fatigue was easily dismissed. Usually with a glance, as if to say, “have you ever played goal?” Or at least, “have you ever played goal like him?”

Even Head Coach Jacques Lemaire got caught up in the euphoria, harkening back to that tried and true cliche that has been heard from Novia Scotia to Saskatchewan; from frozen ponds to semi-covered barns including the Old Gardens. ”Show me a great goaltender, and I’ll show you a great coach!”

Filling out the line-up card reminded folks in the metropolitan area of another team across the river, when Joe Torre, and now Joe Giradi, pencil in Derek Jeter on a nightly basis. No one there seemed to worry that Jeter had played in the World Baseball classic before the 162 game marathon had even kicked off. Then why any questions regarding this 3-time Stanley Cup winner’s playing time in this extended season?

Sitting atop the Atlantic Division in his first year back, Jacques Lemaire was riding this Champion for all he was worth.

Nothing controversial there in New Jersey and certainly no references coming out of Olympic headquarters, where Steve Yzerman and his boys had made one of the easier decisions of the entire process. In goal, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo and last years’ Cup winner, Marc Andre-Fleury would represent the Canadians in Vancouver. Not necessarily in that order, but the inference was clear.

And then, exactly a month ago to the day that the entire Canadian team will arrive in British Columbia, something strange happened.

Steve Yzerman, Canada's great Executive Director! (photo by dave hogg/flickr)

Martin Brodeur started to lose, and often. In his last 16 NHL starts, the Quebec native has won just 5 times. He has been pulled three times, including last night’s 5-2 loss to Carolina, when he gave up four opening goals. His save percentage has dropped well below the .900 mark during that stretch as well.

Those figures do not include the game on January 8th, when he was torched for three goals on just seven shots, before the lights literally went out on him and the Tampa Bay Lightning at The Prudential Center. In that game, he was pulled after one period.

Steve Yzerman, Canada’s Executive Director, is choosing his words carefully only days before the first puck is dropped.

Like a political maestro, Yzerman deflected some of the mounting pressure that his team, and Brodeur might be feeling. In regards to the Russians, he had this to say. “They’re bringing in some of the top forwards in the world. They’re the number one ranked team in the world. They’re the favorite coming into this tournament.”

As orchestrated as Yzerman’s comments might be, there still be may be some 35 million or so Canadians who ascribe to another credo.

“Show me a great goaltender, and I’ll show you a great Executive Director!”

Posted by Jon Gabrielle on Feb 14 2010. Filed under Bits & Pieces, Featured Articles, International Hockey, Olympics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.