| Authored by Scott Essman - 19th November, 2007 - 6:45 pm
 After earning his 500th NHL victory on Saturday night at the age of just 35, Martin Brodeur, now in his 14th season, all with the New Jersey Devils, might just claim the distinction of being the greatest goalie ever. With all apologies to Patrick Roy, who played 12 seasons in Montreal and another eight in Colorado, playing until he was 37, Brodeur might have a greater overall career.
Yes, Roy finished with 551 wins, but it is a record that Brodeur should beat if he keeps playing, and he will likely do so in less than Roy's 20 seasons.
What's more, Brodeur's all-time goals against average is a stunning 2.21, even with the dropoff this year, up to 2.70 thus far. That's superior to Roy's amazing career GAA of 2.45.
Of note, the bulletproof Dominik Hasek, still playing on the Detroit Red Wings at age 42, also boasts a career GAA of 2.21. One could conceivably throw Hasek into this argument, but for all of his glorious years and staunch goaltending he has ?but? 367 wins and one Stanley Cup with Detroit; of course, he played nine seasons with the perpetually underachieving Buffalo Sabres.
Taken in total, the idea of ?best goalie ever? also comes down to one's legacy, and Roy was certainly one of the most clutch NHL performers in history, winning two Stanley Cups with Montreal and another two with Colorado, a very impressive feat. But Roy shifted to an already loaded Avalanche team in the midst of the 1995-96 season, joining a team on the road to the Cup. Brodeur has won three Cups, all with New Jersey, and at least two with wholly different teams surrounding him.
In each of their three Cup victories, the Devils won with impenetrable defense, and Brodeur was clearly the anchor each time. Combined with the Devil?s unusually effective ?trap? defense, Brodeur?s disallowance to let virtually anything through carried the team to Cup a win in a totally unpredictable sweep over a loaded Detroit team in 1994-95.
In 1999-2000, the Devils, again led by Brodeur, beat the lauded Dallas Stars in six games for their second Cup.
In 2002-2003, Brodeur was challenged more than he ever had been in a Cup finals, but the Devils won their third title by beating a ?Cinderella? team in the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Brodeur?s GAA in that year?s playoffs was an unbelievable 1.65 with seven shutouts. In fact, in each of his three Stanley Cup playoff victory years, his playoff GAA has been under 2.00 ? his career playoff GAA stands at 1.88, which might be his most amazing statistic yet. In comparison, Roy?s playoff GAA is a very respectable 2.30.
Lastly, in terms of unshakable durability, Brodeur is the more resilient player of the two when comparing him to Roy. Each of the past nine seasons, Brodeur has played in 70 or more games which is a remarkable feat for a goaltender. While Roy played in over 60 games with his teams 11 times, he never notched a 70-game season.
When the dust settles on NHL history, Brodeur and Roy will be mentioned in the same breath, but it might be Brodeur who is recognized as the best goalie ever. |
