Martin Brodeur Wins No. 552 in Classic New Jersey Devils Style

NEWARK, N.J. -- Martin Brodeur and the Devils clearly didn't have any interest in dramatic flair. With the storybook stuff out of the way, the Devils' focus was not on providing column fodder for the packed press upstairs. They wanted the win, as quickly, efficiently and mercilessly as possible.

The result? A 3-2 win over the Blackhawks that pushed Brodeur over the top of Patrick Roy. It was Brodeur's 552nd career win, the most of any goaltender in NHL history.

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There weren't many blanks to fill after the game's opening minutes, a span in which the Devils dominated, staked themselves to a 2-0 lead, and never looked back. It took just a hair over six minutes to build that cushion and make clear that, for emotional and practical reasons, they didn't want Brodeur to go another day having to wonder when he'd reach the mountaintop.

They were determined. Now, everyone can breathe.

"What a relief," exhaled Denis Brodeur, Martin's father, to no one in particular.

"It's finally over," said Martin later, recalling the singular thought that crossed his head as the final seconds bled off the clock. "I had a lot of work during the game, so I didn't have time to think, but with 10 minutes left, I said 'This is gonna happen.' I was a clock-watcher a little bit."

The Blackhawks didn't make those last 10 minutes easy, though, scoring late to narrow the gap. If Brodeur's mind was wandering, Chicago's second goal brought everything back into focus.

"When they scored with a couple of minutes left, I remembered -- 'I have two more minutes to kill.'"


While Brodeur will obviously and rightfully get all of the attention tonight, he didn't have to be anywhere near perfect. The Devils back-checked with authority, cleared pucks from the slot constantly, and relegated the Blackhawks to low-percentage shots. Brodeur responded when he had to, but that wasn't very often. The score might indicate otherwise, but the Blackhawks were never really in the game.

The style in which the Devils won is what makes the win perhaps most fitting. For the last 15 years, Brodeur has benefited from a team that has emphasized defense over all else. That's led to detractors marginalizing his impact on a New Jersey bunch that will make its 12th-straight playoff appearance this year (three of which resulting in championships), but 552 wins are 552 wins, whether you have to stand on your head to get them or not. That he's gotten them (in 38 less games played than Roy, with a season-and-a-half missed to labor troubles) is a remarkable feat regardless of the teams which have played in front of him.

"Being around the organization for over the last year," second-year coach Brent Sutter, no stranger to on-ice success himself, began, "you understand why Marty and the team have accomplished what they've accomplished. This is a team record."

"I've been really fortunate to play in a great organization," Brodeur added.

Still, his teammates were more than happy to allow him some time in the spotlight, cutting the netting off of the goalposts as a keepsake and taking a celebratory lap while the 17,625 present showed their appreciation.

"It's definitely harder than in basketball," Brodeur joked, referring to the annual March Madness championship tradition of cutting down the nets. "They have a little net, mine was a bigger.

"Today was very special. It was a great reception from the fans. I thought it was pretty cool (tying Roy's record in Montreal), but this topped it."




So we can mark this one down as a true "team win," a Devils trademark. While the headlines will tout No. 30's greatness, you can bet that Brodeur appreciates the effort from his teammates. And by the way they've played in front of him since returning from a torn tricep injury which cost him most of the season, a nine-game stretch in which they've gone a near-dominant 8-1 to expedite the record-breaking process, you can tell they appreciate him too.

"It's been great since returning," Brodeur noted. "The team has been scoring. My job's been easy. I didn't think about the record (during his four-month layoff), because I wasn't sure how I was going to be when I returned, but after we won the first four games I realized that it was going to come quicker than I thought."

They're a team, in the truest sense of the word. A team with the greatest goaltender in NHL history, that is. Even Brodeur, as diplomatic as they come, had to succumb to the significance of the moment.

"It's hard to think about getting a record like this. It's the ultimate record (for goalies), in my mind."