Martin Brodeur Simply the Best at 104

It’s now time for the legendary Terry Sawchuk to move over and conceit the all time number one NHL goaltending status to Martin Brodeur. In centuries from now hockey fans and historians will read about the extraordinary history made on December 21, 2009 in Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena when arguably the best goalie of all time Brodeur captivated the hockey world. On this night the 37 year-old who is in his 16^th season made 35 saves in blanking the Penguins 4-0 and in the process touching off a wild celebration in recognition of Brodeur who officially became the all time shutout leader at 104. “I think it will never be broken,” Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said. “It’s hard for a goaltender. They do have a lot of pressure…you get into the playoffs and the run is tough for a goaltender, especially Marty. The thing is, he’s in the net for 60 of the (82) games. It demands a lot. He’s getting older, and he’s still in the net mostly every game, and doing well.” In breaking Sawchuk’s shutout record Brodeur noticed and appreciated the extra emphasis his teammates were putting on defence. With only five minutes to go Pittsburgh had some chances and with only a couple of minutes remaining Penguins captain Sidney Crosby hit the goalpost. “It was almost like winning a playoff game,” Brodeur who now has 580 career wins said. “The guys kept chipping the puck out and everybody was blocking shots everywhere. It was a great effort from my teammates.”  Playing with the all time leader in not only shutouts but also in career wins, minutes played and games started is something that Devils young forward Zach Parise cherishes and will always remember. “All the winning that he’s done, the shutouts, the Cups, it’s unbelievable. It’s great for a guy like me—and all of us at this time—we’re on the ice when all these records are happening. I mean, it’s fun.. I’m sure it’s fun for him but it’s pretty cool for us too.” Brodeur’s biggest challenge came in the third period when he came up big on a couple of golden opportunities from Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. “It’s pretty incredible what he’s done,” Crosby said. “He was on tonight and he’s been a great goalie for a long time.” It looks like this four time Vezina Trophy winner will have this record for quite some time as the closest active goalie is Detroit Red Wing’s Chris Osgood who has 50..