It has been reported that veteran goaltender Martin Brodeur will be hanging up his skates and will be joining the front office of the St. Louis Blues for the rest of the 2014-15 season. Rich Chere reports that at some point down the road he is expected to join the Devils Front Office.
Lou Lamoriello says Martin Brodeur will be back with Devils but will finish this season in Blues' front office. http://t.co/7Jrs9Fafzz
— Rich Chere (@Ledger_NJDevils) January 27, 2015
Brodeur’s new role will be the assistant GM to Doug Armstrong, as per reported by numerous sources. The 42 year old signed a one year contract with the Blues in November of 2014 after starting goaltender Brian Elliott was injured. Brodeur went 3-3-0 with one shutout, a GAA of 2.87, and a SV% of .899. These were his worst numbers in a season since his debut in 1991-92, despite only playing six games this year. In his twenty other seasons, he managed to put up a winning record in nineteen of them, never posting a SV% below .901, and never had a GAA above 2.57.
The Montreal, Quebec native was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, 20th overall. He made his four game debut two years later, after finishing out his junior career with St-Hyacinthe Laser in the QMJHL. In 92-93, he played with the Utica Devils, the New Jersey farm team in the AHL. By 93-94 though, he started to prove he was a good pick by Lou Lamoriello, who is still the GM to this day. Over the course of the next three seasons, he transformed from a fresh faced rookie to a solid 30-plus win goalie. He pushed former starter Chris Terreri out of the crease and began the dominance of the Devils over a 15 year period.
With Brodeur in the crease, the Devils were able to capture three Stanley Cups, 1995, 2000, and 2003. The team in front of him wasn’t offensively stacked but was more defensive and this was a plus for having such a great goaltender to back them up.
He owns just about every goaltender statistic and record in the book, both regular season and playoffs, from wins to minutes on the ice. He played an incredible 21 seasons, including his four game stint in 91-92, all for the New Jersey Devils. He has won numerous awards in the NHL, including the Calder Memorial Trophy (1994), Vezina (’03, ’04, ’07, ’08), William M. Jennings Trophy (’97, ’98, ’03, ’04, ’10), the Stanley Cup (’95,’00, ’03), and he has been named an All-Star a seemingly low 9 times, along with being named to the All-Rookie team in ’94. He has also had great success in the International level, playing for Canada in multiple tournaments, including the 2002 Olympics where the Canadian Men’s Team took home the Gold for the first time in 50 years.
This past offseason when his contract expired, the Devils opted not to resign him, instead going with the tandem of Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid, and Scott Clemmensen in the minors with Albany. When he signed with the Blues, it was odd seeing him wear a different jersey than the familiar white, black, and red jersey fans have permanently placed with Brodeur.
It’s been a great career, Marty. Congratulations.
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