Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian–American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with whom he won three Stanley Cup championships and five Eastern Conference championships in 17 postseason campaigns. He also won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games, as well as several other medals with Team Canada in other international competitions. Brodeur is widely regarded as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. In 2017, he was named by the league as one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players", and the following year, he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Brodeur holds numerous NHL and franchise records among goaltenders; he ranks as the league's all-time regular season leader in wins (691), losses (397), shutouts (125), and games played (1,266). He won at least 30 games in twelve straight seasons between 1995–96 and 2007–08 and is the only goaltender in NHL history with eight 40-win seasons. He is a four-time Vezina Trophy winner, a five-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner, a ten-time NHL All-Star, and a Calder Memorial Trophy winner. He is one of 13 NHL goaltenders to score a goal in the regular season and the second to do so in the playoffs; his three goals are the most of any NHL goaltender.
Brodeur used a hybrid style of goaltending by standing up more than typical butterfly style goaltenders, though he adapted to more modern techniques at the latter stage of his career. He was known for his puck handling, his positional play, and his reflexes, especially with his glove hand. Brodeur's prowess at puck handling was so well known that it led in part to the NHL changing its rules to restrict where goaltenders were allowed to handle the puck outside of the goal crease, adding what is known as "the Brodeur rule". He announced his retirement in the middle of the 2014–15 season after a brief stint with the St. Louis Blues, having played in seven games with the team. He is the current executive vice president of business development for the Devils.
Early life
Brodeur was born on May 6, 1972, in Montreal. He is one of five children of Denis and Mireille Brodeur. Denis played in the 1956 Olympics for Team Canada and won a bronze medal. After his playing career, Denis was a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. For more than 20 years, he attended all Montreal games and practices, and when Martin was old enough, he came along. Brodeur idolized Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy.
Brodeur started playing hockey as a forward. His goaltending career began when his coach asked him if he wanted to play as a backup at the position in a youth tournament. Brodeur explained:
When he was 12 years old, Brodeur briefly intended to stop playing hockey, after he had been removed from his team's lineup for not showing up at a game. Following a conversation with his brother Claude, though, he decided to continue playing. When receiving goaltending instructions in his teens, Brodeur was taught a variety of different styles, ranging from butterfly to stand-up, and paid attention to the technique of others playing the position. He attended a camp run by retired Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, who encouraged the use of multiple methods; Brodeur believes that the concept made him "a student of the game." In the 1989–90 season, he made it to the Quebec Major Junior League. While playing with the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser, Brodeur made the QMJHL All-Rookie team in 1989–90 and the QMJHL Second All-Star Team in 1991–92. Brodeur was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the first round (20th overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.