Come Praise the Greatest Ever

[IrishCanadian25]

#30 - Martin Brodeur

On Monday Night, December 21st of 2009, Martin Brodeur officially wrote assigned his name to the third major NHL record he may very well hold for all time. Marty broke Terry Sawchuck's record for shutouts with # 104 in a 4-0 win against the Penguins. Marty already held the all time record for Wins and Games Played. He's 37 and leads the NHL in wins on a team most "experts" said wouldn't even make the playoffs.

Marty is also tied with his idol, Patrick Roy, for most playoff shutouts of all time with 23. One more, and it's yet another record Marty owns that defines his legacy as undoubtedly the greatest goaltender of all time.

1. #1 all time in regular season wins with more than 557 as of October 1st, 2009. That number is obviously greater now. The next highest active goalie is Chris Osgood with 389.
2. #1 all time in regular season shutouts with 104
3. #1 all time in OT Wins with 45
4. Most consecutive 30-win seasons with 12
5. Most consecutive 35-win seasons with 11
6. Most 40-win seasons with 7
7. Most games played by an NHL goaltender (1,030 as of December 19th, 2009)
8. Only NHL goalie to score a game-winning goal
9. One of two NHL goalies (Ron Hextall) to score a goal in both the regular season and the playoffs
10. Most wins in a single season (48, in 2006–07)
11. Most minutes played in a single season (4697, in 2006–07)
12. Most shutouts in a playoff season (7, in 2002–03)
13. Most shutouts in a Stanley Cup final (3, in 2002–03)
14. 1st goaltender in history to have 3 shutouts in two different playoff series. (1995 against Boston in the Conference Quarterfinals, 2003 against Anaheim in the Stanley Cup final.)
15. 3 Stanley Cup Championships
16. Olympic Gold Medal - 2002, Canada
17. NHL Rookie of the Year 1994
18. 4-time NHL Vezina Trophy Winner for best Goalie: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
19. Best Goals Against Average among active goalies with a 2.208
20. Youngest Goaltender to win 300, 400, and 500 games

The man is the greatest goaltender in the history of professional hockey, bar none, and he is also one of the greatest and most important hockey players ever. Finally, he is by FAR the most important and most notable sports figure in the history of the state of New Jersey.

 

[NSL]

I'm pretty sure we already have a thread on Brodeur...Anywho...

Brodeur has cemented his place among the elite players in the history of the game, not just goalies. As a Rangers fan, I can not put the words together to say he's...You know...But, he is in the top few goalies in the history of the game.

Patrick Roy, Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, and now Brodeur. I've seen firsthand the level he can play to, and he's rarely had a "bad" game. His worst games are games that some other back-ups would die for in a start.