Healthy Brodeur now pain for rest of NHL
Posted: Thursday, March 05, 2009 6:18 PM
If the New Jersey Devils win their fourth Stanley Cup this year, the Conn Smythe Trophy for the MVP of the playoffs should go to Martin Brodeur’s surgically repaired left biceps. Yes, it kept him out of 50 games this year, but it also brought him to the season’s final 22 games fresher than he’s ever been. And a fresh and strong Brodeur in the playoffs is something the Devils desperately need.
The trouble has been that Brodeur’s insistence on playing more games than any goalie in the league has been taking a toll on the 36-year-old goalie. Last year, when he played in all but five of the Devils’ 82 games, he looked tired and slow in the playoffs. He gave up 3.19 goals a game in a five-game first-round loss to the Rangers. That’s 1.23 goals above his career playoff average of 1.96. For one of the few times in his career, Brodeur was uniformly awful.
So before the season started last October, I wrote that the Devils had to rest Brodeur more during the season if they wanted to have a chance in the postseason. Eight games into the season, he went down with the torn biceps.
It’s been written frequently since that losing the planet’s best goalie turned out to be a blessing for New Jersey. Unable to rely on a goalie to protect 1-0 and 2-1 leads for them, the Devils became more aggressive on offense, allowing Zach Parise to emerge as one of the most exciting young players in the NHL while reviving Jamie Langenbrunner and Patrik Elias. While managing to maintain their stature as one of the league’s best defensive teams, the Devils are also one of the top eight in scoring.
When Brodeur came back on Feb. 26, fans wondered how good he’d be. He answered the questions by pitching a shutout. In three games since, he has three more wins and another shutout, giving him 100 for his brilliant career.
The reason he’s so sharp goes to his rehabilitation. He had to work far harder to get his arm back in shape than he ever did in getting ready for the season. Brodeur was always a guy who relied on practice and games to get him into shape and keep him there. Now, he has a foundation of conditioning that should carry him through the last 18 games of the season and, the team hopes, deep into the playoffs. By the time the postseason arrives, Brodeur will be in mid-season form.
He needs four more wins to pass Patrick Roy as the winningest goalie in NHL history. As if to prove that there is a hockey god, if the Devils and Brodeur keep winning, he can break the record as early as March 14 in Montreal.
The symbolism is perfect. Brodeur grew up in Montreal cheering for the Canadiens, the team his father worked for as the team photographer for many years. His idol was the guy whose record he’s chasing, Roy, who began his career with the Canadiens. Brodeur loves playing against his old home team, compiling a 34-15-15 record with eight shutouts and a 1.80 goals against average.
To make that the game that will be for the record, Brodeur will have to beat the Islanders, Flames and Coyotes. The way he and the Devils are playing, that’s completely within the realm of possibility. If he could somehow pick up two more shutouts in the next three games – a tall order, even for him – he could beat Roy’s record against the Canadiens and tie Terry Sawchuck’s all-time shutout record of 103 at the same time.
And wouldn’t that be cool?
