For those who have no idea who Martin Brodeur is, let me fill you in a little bit. Martin Brodeur, the number 30, goalie for the New Jersey Devils, has been defined as “arguably the top goaltender in the world”. He was born on May 6, 1972 and currently holds numerous NHL and franchise records which includes the all-time regular season wins, losses, shutouts, and games played. On June 7, 2014, Martin Brodeur broke the hearts of New Jersey Devils fans everywhere by announcing his retirement and desire to test the free agency for the 2014-2015 season.
Where It All Started
As a young lad, Martin Brodeur played hockey as a forward until he was asked by his coach to play as a back up at a youth tournament. The next season, his coach gave him to option to play as a forward or as a goalie. He made one of the best decisions of his life and chose to be a goalie, at just the young age of seven. He started getting recognized by scouts and fans, eventually making his way to the Quebec Major Junior League, making the QMJHL All-Rookie team and all star team in 1992. In the first round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Brodeur was drafted by the New Jersey Devils.
His Rise
For the 1991-1992 NHL season, Martin Brodeur was mostly playing for the Utica Devils, an AHL sister team of the New Jersey Devils. He was called up occasionally on an emergency basis to the NHL and ended up winning his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins. The following season was spent with Utica as well until the 1993-1994 season when he returned to the NHL for a permanent position with the NJ Devils and went on to win the Calder Trophy for best rookie in the NHL. He then led the Devils to the second-best record in the league. His points gained him the head position over Terreri and that is where he stayed.
With his rise came a new rule, called the Brodeur rule. This new rule was to prevent goaltenders from playing the puck from behind the goal line. They can only play from a trapezoid-shaped zone which is located behind the net. This rule had been put in place due to Martin having been credited with multiple goals where the puck had been played behind the goal line.
His Retirement
As the years went by, it seemed like he was only getting better. In the 2007-2008 season, he became the second goalie in NHL history to reach 500 wins. He had gone on to break career records for goaltenders which include most career wins, most playoff shutout, most minutes played, most games played, and most regular season shutouts. On November 26, 2014, Brodeur signed a tryout contract with the St. Louis Blues which resulted in him signing a one-year, $700,000 deal. On January 27th, 2015, he decided to retire from the NHL and announced the news two days later. Today, Brodeur is the assistant general manager of the St. Louis Blues and undoubtedly one of the greatest goalies to ever play in the NHL.
