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Whether you are a New Jersey Devils fan or not, you know that when you hear “Martin Brodeur” you automatically think of that team, but as of this afternoon, the name has a new association with an entirely different franchise. The goaltender signed a one-year deal with the St. Louis Blues.
As most hockey fans are aware, the Devils are the only team Brodeur has ever played with in his entire 21-season career. He holds almost all of the goaltending records, and he has reached all of those achievements on this one single team, a rarity today. The 42-year-old who still hadn’t found a team to sign with at the beginning of the season had absolutely no intention of retiring, which led him to trying out for the St. Louis Blues. He made a smart decision to keep his options open and aimed to find a team that had Stanley Cup aspirations, and the Blues were right at the top of the list.
Brodeur joined the Blues in a skate for the first time Friday morning, again on Saturday morning, and then on his own at the Blue’s practice facility on Sunday. By Monday, he skated with the team for a full practice, and joined them again earlier today for another practice round. With the amount of time he spent with them, it was only obvious that he was going to join them one way or another.
After talk and speculation this morning throughout the internet regarding the St. Louis Blues, Brodeur, and the possibility of a contract, it seemed clearer that if he was offered something, he was going to take it. As predicted, earlier this afternoon, he agreed to a one-year contract worth nearly $700,000 with the Blues. The former Devils goaltender was brought in to split time with 24-year-old Jake Allen of the Blues, while Blue’s team member Brian Elliott recovers from a knee injury that happened last Tuesday.
The goaltender who has clearly made a name for himself, has an NHL-record of 688 wins and has won the coveted Stanley Cup three times with the Devils. Brodeur has also won the Calder Trophy once and the Vezina Trophy an impressive four times. Aside from those remarkable achievements, he holds the highest record of shutouts at 124.
Though the Blues differ from the Devils in many ways, and he won’t particularly be their main goaltender, his hard work and passion for the game will definitely show while he is on the ice with another team. Brodeur will make his big debut with the Blues either Thursday night against the Nashville Predators, or during Saturdays game against the New York Islanders.
