They don’t call him the GOAT for no reason.
And if you’ve been living under a rock for the last quarter century, we’re of course referring to goaltender and Devils legend Martin Brodeur.
And now Brodeur can put yet another accolade next to his name, named a member of the NHL’s Quarter Century team.
The Quarter-Century Team was selected via the NHL Quarter-Century Team Fan Vote presented by SAP from Feb. 12 to April 1. The fan vote followed the reveal of all 32 NHL clubs’ first and second teams, which were announced earlier this year. The six players named to each team’s First Team were eligible for selection in the Fan Vote. – NHL.com
Brodeur, who holds the record for the most career wins (691), shutouts (125), and career games played (1,266), was named alongside three other Quebec-born goaltenders: Patrick Roy, Roberto Luongo, and Marc-Andre Fleury, as well as Rangers’ rival Henrik Lundqvist and Montreal Canadiens’ all-time wins leader Carey Price.
Brodeur, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and a two-time silver medalist at the World Championship, achieved everything during his 22-year NHL career, spending 21 of those years with the New Jersey Devils. His No. 30 also hangs from the rafters at Prudential Center.
Not only recognized for his quantifiable accolades, such as wins and shutouts, Brodeur was also noted for his exceptional puck-handling skills, effectively acting as a third defenseman on the ice. These abilities inherently prompted the NHL to implement a trapezoid rule to restrict play behind the net.
“He had the passing ability that made it that much easier for the defensemen,” teammate Ken Daneyko said in 2018 to NHL.com. “His puck-handling ability almost made him like a third defenseman and they ended up making a rule for Marty because he was too good at it. Nobody could forecheck.”
His teammates always knew how special he was and how lucky they were to have him playing on their side.
“Just his demeanor and his calmness in the net, the most important position, you want a guy to have that confidence,” Daneyko added. “You just didn’t see any fear in him. … He had that swagger, that athletic ability and you thought that potentially we had a really good one, and a good one for a long time if he progressed.
“We all know that he did [progress], and the rest is history.”
“He had the mental toughness to be a goaltender,” said Scott Stevens to NHL.com in 2018. “It’s kind of a lonely position. It’s like a pitcher on the mound. You’re sort of by yourself in a team sport, and he had the ability to just shrug things off and not let things snowball and get unwound.”
Brodeur was named a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer and inducted into the Hall in 2018. He shared a story then, where perhaps we all have Claude Brodeur, Martin’s brother, for making sure the hockey world would be graced with Brodeur’s unbelievable talents.
“When I was 14 years old, I was cut from a AA team,” Brodeur said. “I wasn’t really happy about this. A few months went by, and I decided I was going to quit hockey and hang around with all of my buddies.”
“When my big brother Claude found out, he grabbed me by the collar and brought me right back to the team,” Brodeur said after several seconds. “When you are a teenager, you need your family and friends to keep your eye on the goal.”
