When all is done with his career, I will be able to say I watched one of the greatest of all time lace them up and play the game. His name is Martin Brodeur and his game is still evolving, which is scary for every NHL player that is not a Devil.
Think about it….last nite, he just posted his 30th win of the season which is quite an accomplishment for a goalie. Sounds great, right? It isn’t for Marty, who now has done it eleven times in a row and no, that is not a misprint. He put it best, “Every year I want to win 30 games and that is my first goal…..now we’ll move on.” Did I mention this only game 49 for the Devils and that there are 33 games left…of which Marty will likely start somewhere between 25 and 30?? He is well on his way to winning 40 games for a sixth time. The records aren’t just being broken….they are being rewritten.
In the age of the new NHL….no one expected this honestly. Star Ledger columnist Rich Chere had previously said that Marty would still be great, but that the new rules would impact him some. Now for the first year it did……his 2.57 GAA was his highest since his first year where he only appeared in 4 games. I really did not know what to expect this year and when the Devils stumbled out of the block 3-4-1, I began to wonder what kind of season this would be. I wish I had the delete button for what I said then. Basically something along the lines of maybe Marty has lost a step. I wonder if he heard me.
That being said, if the season ended today….Brodeur would be the first goalie in the modern era to lead or tie for the lead in all four major stat categories for a goalie. Thirty wins, a 1.97 GAA, a .930 save percentage, and 9 shutouts. He is doing this at an age where most goalies are starting to wind down. Brodeur will turn 35 on May 6th and yet you would never know it. There was a saying that certain French-Canadian goalies would hit their prime around their mid thirties. There was Plante, then Roy, and now there is Brodeur. You proved me wrong Marty, you proved me wrong. You’re simply the best and maybe for all times.
