Martin Brodeur Gone for Three to Four Months Means Big Trouble in Little Newark

The New Jersey Devils announced Tuesday that goaltender Martin Brodeur will miss three to four months due to a torn bicep tendon suffered on Saturday versus the Atlanta Thrashers. Brodeur will undergo surgery on Thursday morning to repair the tendon that he said was torn completely off the bone in his elbow.

The nightmare began when Brodeur attempted to make a glove save on a shot that was going wide of the net in the second period. He left the game with over 13 minutes to go. The injury was initially reported as a minor bruise, and GM Lou Lamoriello expected his return within the week.

As we all know now, the man we call Marty—who has been the face, backbone, and heart of the Devils organization for over a decade—will be watching helplessly as his team tries to maintain a competitive edge in a very tough division without him.

This injury stalls Brodeur’s shot at history, as he trails Patrick Roy’s all-time wins record by seven and Terry Sawchuk's all-time shutouts mark by five. Brodeur is the latest Devils casualty bitten by the injury bug after Andy Greene, Bobby Holik, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Paul Martin, and Brian Rolston have all been out with various setbacks.  

What lies ahead for the Devils now is anyone’s guess; they have been playing anything but steady hockey.

Last night unknowingly marked the start of the Kevin Weekes era, as he fought off 28 of 30 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. With Scott Clemmensen watching on the bench as his backup, Weekes nearly stole one for the Devils, showing the form and experience he displayed from his days in Carolina. As Devils fans probably remember, it was Weekes who ended their Stanley Cup hopes in 2002, leading the Hurricanes to the Finals. 

However, even after playing in almost 332 games, Weekes is still shy of the 100-win plateau and his losses outweigh his wins by 60. Clemmensen has not even eclipsed 10 in either category. This leaves the Devils with many question marks in the crease as they look for two-thirds of the season without the four-time Vezina Trophy winner in Brodeur.

Three goalies have already been linked with the team if the Weeks-Clemmensen experiment fails. Nikolai Khabibulin, Manny Fernandez, and Dwayne Roloson have all been mentioned by bloggers and NHL insiders in the wake of the Brodeur bomb.  

Roloson has the best chance since his salary ($3.667 mil-year) would be easier to absorb, but only time will tell.

Tonight, while the country makes one of the biggest decisions in its history, Lamoriello faces the biggest decision of his tenure of a near future without Martin Brodeur.