JohnnyMack
3/17/2009, 09:04 PM
Brodeur gets win 552, becomes NHL's all-time winningest netminder.
http://nbcsportsmedia4.msnbc.com/j/apmegasports/200903171958719238209-pf.h2.jpg
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Martin Brodeur stands alone among NHL goaltenders.
Brodeur posted his 552nd win and passed childhood idol and Hall of Famer Patrick Roy for the most career victories in league history. He made 30 saves in the New Jersey Devils ' 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
The victory came in Brodeur's 987th game of a 15-year career played entirely with the Devils.
During that tenure, the likable Brodeur has led the Devils to three Stanley Cup titles and won the Vezina Trophy four times as the league's top goalie.
Now he holds the wins record, and others could soon fall. He is within four shutouts of passing Terry Sawchuk (103) for the league record, and at 36 he has a chance to push his win total well beyond 600.
''If this continues being fun, I'll stick around for a long time,'' Brodeur said during an on-ice interview after the game.
Brodeur secured the victory with a pad save against Troy Brouwer in the waning seconds and then jumped in the air, pulling his knee to his chest after the final buzzer. He pumped his right arm and stick and then was mobbed by teammates.
After about a minute, they let him stand alone in front of the net and accept the cheers of the crowd. Brodeur then started to cut the net from the crossbar, only to stop and take a victory lap around the ice, high-fiving his coaches as he past the bench.
While the crowd roared, teammates finished the job of taking the net down. Brodeur eventually took it and skated to the bench for an interview.
As he spoke, a deafening roar of ''Mart-tee, Mart-tee'' filled the arena.
Brodeur tied Roy's mark in an emotional setting, his hometown of Montreal on Saturday night with Roy in attendance.
With family in the crowd in Newark, Brodeur took the ice in front of a full house that cheered him from the warmup to the final buzzer, mostly with the echoing chant of ''Mart-tee, Mart-tee, Mart-tee.''
Those cheers turned to ''Thank you, Marty'' as the clock ticked down, and ''Marty's Better,'' once the record was his.
'' Martin Brodeur is the gold standard of goaltending - the model of character, consistency and commitment to the craft,'' NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a prepared statement. ''A champion. A winner above all.
''It is difficult to imagine any player who is more universally, and deservedly, respected,'' Bettman added. ''The National Hockey League is extremely proud of Martin, his historic achievement and his enduring contribution to our game.''
http://nbcsportsmedia4.msnbc.com/j/apmegasports/200903171958719238209-pf.h2.jpg
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Martin Brodeur stands alone among NHL goaltenders.
Brodeur posted his 552nd win and passed childhood idol and Hall of Famer Patrick Roy for the most career victories in league history. He made 30 saves in the New Jersey Devils ' 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
The victory came in Brodeur's 987th game of a 15-year career played entirely with the Devils.
During that tenure, the likable Brodeur has led the Devils to three Stanley Cup titles and won the Vezina Trophy four times as the league's top goalie.
Now he holds the wins record, and others could soon fall. He is within four shutouts of passing Terry Sawchuk (103) for the league record, and at 36 he has a chance to push his win total well beyond 600.
''If this continues being fun, I'll stick around for a long time,'' Brodeur said during an on-ice interview after the game.
Brodeur secured the victory with a pad save against Troy Brouwer in the waning seconds and then jumped in the air, pulling his knee to his chest after the final buzzer. He pumped his right arm and stick and then was mobbed by teammates.
After about a minute, they let him stand alone in front of the net and accept the cheers of the crowd. Brodeur then started to cut the net from the crossbar, only to stop and take a victory lap around the ice, high-fiving his coaches as he past the bench.
While the crowd roared, teammates finished the job of taking the net down. Brodeur eventually took it and skated to the bench for an interview.
As he spoke, a deafening roar of ''Mart-tee, Mart-tee'' filled the arena.
Brodeur tied Roy's mark in an emotional setting, his hometown of Montreal on Saturday night with Roy in attendance.
With family in the crowd in Newark, Brodeur took the ice in front of a full house that cheered him from the warmup to the final buzzer, mostly with the echoing chant of ''Mart-tee, Mart-tee, Mart-tee.''
Those cheers turned to ''Thank you, Marty'' as the clock ticked down, and ''Marty's Better,'' once the record was his.
'' Martin Brodeur is the gold standard of goaltending - the model of character, consistency and commitment to the craft,'' NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a prepared statement. ''A champion. A winner above all.
''It is difficult to imagine any player who is more universally, and deservedly, respected,'' Bettman added. ''The National Hockey League is extremely proud of Martin, his historic achievement and his enduring contribution to our game.''