Martin Brodeur is arguably the best goaltender in NHL History. He is a ten time NHL All-Star, four time Vezina Trophy winner, three time Stanley Cup Champion, two time Olympic gold medalist and also has a Calder Trophy under his belt. Marty is one of just two goalies that have scored a goal in the playoffs. The other being Ron Hextall. With three goals he is the highest scoring goalie in NHL history. In last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs he had 4 assists, the most ever by a goalie in a Playoff campaign. To date he has 666 wins and 120 shutouts. Brodeur’s best calendar year came in 2009. He broke the majority of his records during that year including wins, shutouts and minutes played.
Without further adieu I bring to you the top 10 moments of Martin Brodeur’s magnificent career.
10. The Sean Avery Rule
Definitely the most bizarre moment of Brodeur’s career. During a game in the 2008 Playoffs against the New York Rangers, Sean Avery started waiving his stick in Marty’s face during a 5-on-3 power play. Without question Avery’s tactics were unfair and thus the Sean Avery Rule was born.
9. 1994 Calder Trophy Champion
Brodeur had an unforgettable rookie season between the pipes with the New Jersey Devils. In 47 games with the Devils, he went 27-11-8 with a 2.40 GAA and a .915 save percentage. He produced three shutouts and only allowed 105 goals during the regular season. In the playoffs, Marty was 8-9 with a 1.95 GAA and a .928 save percentage with one shutout.
8. Playoff Goal
On April 17th, 1997 Brodeur scored a goal against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He became just the second goaltender in NHL history to do so behind Ron Hextall.
7. Highest Scoring Goalie in NHL history
Scoring a goal isn’t usually something a goalie can brag about, let alone scoring three of them. In a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on March 21st, 2013, Brodeur was credited with the third goal of his illustrious career. During a delayed penalty Brodeur made a save before Jordan Stall proceeded to bank a pass off the boards that eventually rolled in to his own net.
6. First Stanley Cup
After a stunning first season it was clear that Brodeur was something special. In his second season Brodeur went 19-11-6 with a 2.45 GAA and a .902 save percentage with three shutouts. In the Devils Stanley Cup run Brodeur went 16-4 with a league leading 1.67 GAA and .927 save percentage. He also led the league in shutouts with 3.
5. 552nd Win
On March 17, 2009 in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Brodeur became the winningest goaltender in NHL history, surpassing Patrick Roy’s 551 career victories.
4. Most Wins in a Single Season
In the 2006/07 NHL season Brodeur became the first goalie to record 48 wins in a single season. In 78 starts he finished the year with a 48-23-7 record with a career high 12 shutouts.
3. Youngest Goalie to Reach 300, 400 and 500 Win Plateau
At age 29 Brodeur recorded his 300th win in a shutout against the Ottawa Senators. At age 31 he recorded his 400th win against the Florida Panthers. He became the first goalie to record his first 400 wins with the same team. Finally, his 500th win came in a win against the Philadelphia Flyers at the age of 35. All of Brodeur’s victories to date have been with the New Jersey Devils.
2. Most Shutouts
Brodeur provided Devils fans with an early Christmas Present in 2009. On December 21st against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brodeur recorded his 104th career regular season shutout, surpassing Terry Sawchuk’s previous record of 103. On April 19, 2009 Brodeur broke Patrick Roy’s playoff shutout record with 24. To date Brodeur has a combined 144 shutouts.
1. Gold Medal at 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics
Winning a gold medal for your country is a feeling like no other. During the 2002 Olympics Brodeur was at the top of his game going 4-0-1 with a 1.80 GAA. 2002’s Olympic squad was perhaps the best roster Canada has ever put together for a hockey tournament.
Clayton Theriault is a 20-year-old student from Oakville, Ontario, Canada. He is currently in the process of obtaining his print journalism diploma at Sheridan College. He is currently an at-large writer for The Hockey Writers.
