Brodeur Should Never Be Taken For Granted
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by user Leslie Monteiro
Lou Lamoriello was hired as the Devils general manager in 1987. He took over at the time when the franchise was dubbed as “Mickey Mouse franchise” by Oilers superstar Wayne Gretzky. The team became a playoff team in the late eighties to early nineties, but they were a one and done team at that time period. The team’s fortunes changed in 1994. Martin Brodeur was drafted by Lamoriello in 1990 and he finally got a chance to show what he can do in 1994. The rest was history. Brodeur shined in his rookie year to the point that he almost led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Finals that year. The Devils were eliminated by the hated New York Rangers in an epic 7-game Eastern Conference Finals.
Lamoriello deserves credit for making the Devils as a
premier hockey franchise, but Brodeur should get a
love for making Lamoriello look good. Great
goaltenders like him are hard to find and the fact
that he has been able to play at a high level for the
last 12 years is simply remarkable. He gets better and
better every year. It is amazing and disappointing
that Brodeur rarely gets mentioned much nationally and
locally here. To those people in the media, it is like
his work is no big deal because he does it all the
time. It is too bad that his work is not being lauded
much. What he has done is something else. He gets
better at age like a fine wine.
He is facing many shots more than ever with [[Scott Stevens]], Ken Daneyko, and Scott Neidermeyer no longer around to prevent shots coming to his way. Devils defense is good, but it is not the very best especially with many young players, who are still learning on the job. Players have been able to use the crease rule in which the goaltenders can be pushed or crashed into so they get many opportunities to put the puck in. He just makes it easy out there. It is remarkable how he can hold on to that many shots. It is like nothing fazes him.
Devils have to rely on him to win every night basically. They do not have that many scorers and their defense has been okay. This could be their downfall come playoff time. They may be good enough to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, but they may not match up well with the Buffalo Sabres since they have that many scorers. Brodeur may have to be really perfect for his chance to win the Cup this year. The best thing about it is that he is up to the task. This should make him a Hart Trophy Candidate (the hockey’s version of the MVP). The three-time Stanley Cup champs would not be a playoff team without him. He has been the reason why they win 1-0 or 2-1 games each night. It has to be hard for a goaltender to stand on his feet every night, but this is what makes the Devils goaltender so good and why he should be treated like bigger than life locally. If he was a New York Ranger, networks like ESPN, Versus, MSG Network, Sportsnet New York would be salivating for his accomplishments. Since he is in nowhere land, he might as well not exist. It is disgusting not many people in this state know who he is which shows you that the state of New Jersey does not think much of sports.
Most goaltenders do not play back-to-back games ever for the most part. Marty is the only one that demands it. He literally gets upset if he gets benched for a game. He just does well on back-to-back nights. He never shows of being tired or being rusty. He is perfect as he is every night. Most players and their teams tend to lose their stamina or energy after playing three games or four nights. It is understandable too with the travel and using all their energy for that one previous game. This is a great reason to why hockey fans should really appreciate Brodeur.
Fans take players for granted. They think these guys will always stay healthy every time. It does not work out that way. Players get hurt easily. It is matter of toughness and durability. Marty has exhibited those qualities throughout his career. He is rarely ever hurt, which is a great thing for the New Jersey Devils. He has a high threshold for pain. One has to imagine how much pain he is after the games and then on his off-days. For a guy that takes a lot of beating, this can not be easy. It is amazing how he has not shown any ill effects of wearing down for years. It is credit to how he takes care of his body and how he keeps himself in shape. He is some specimen.
It is time for appreciate for who he is. There are not that many great goaltenders in the NHL anymore. Greatness is hard to find so when fans get an opportunity to watch Brodeur, they should enjoy it. The Devils will be hard-press to find a guy like him once he is done for good. He is definitely going to be first ballot Hall of Famer. Without him, there would never be a new arena (Prudential Center), which will take place next year in Newark, for this team. This team would still be starving for Stanley Cup and odds are the Devils would be in Music City long time ago. Remember the Devils almost moved to Nashville after the 1995 season. The team was able to stay in the Garden State because of that impressive playoff run in which they won the Cup that year. The fans would not allow them to move on and the late Dr. John McMullen could not justify moving elsewhere. Devils fans can thank Marty for all of this. Now, they should savor every of his game.
It’s up to the league and the fans to embrace and promote his greatness.
