Brodeur sets new goaltending standard
Stopping 30 of 32 shots, New Jersey's Martin Brodeur helped the Devils to a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks Tuesday night, setting a new record for goaltenders with his 552nd career win. Assuming the 36-year-old Montreal native can stay healthy, 700 is not out of reach. But does that make him the all-time greatest, or is his profit margin since returning from injury the only stat that really matters?
Is Martin Brodeur the best goaltender of all-time?
That’s the debate among the hockey cognoscenti after Brodeur recorded win No. 552 of his stellar 14-plus seasons with the New Jersey Devils, who downed Chicago 3-2 on Tuesday as -142 home faves. Patrick Roy held the old record, but Roy retired before the NHL brought in the shootout to resolve tie games in the regular season. And both goalies had the benefit of a five-minute overtime, unlike such Hall-of-Famers as Terry Sawchuk, Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante, who also played 70-game seasons.
So the win record’s been watered down a bit over the years. Here are some other Brodeur milestones that deserve attention:
Personally, my focus has been on the betting odds for so long that I don’t like to engage in these “Greatest of All Time” arguments. Also, my answer always used to be George Hainsworth, after which people would look at me like I had typhoid.
But Brodeur probably has a few seasons left in the tank to put some statistical distance between himself and the rest of the pack. And at the rate he’s going, the 700-win plateau is within reach. The Devils are 8-1 with Brodeur back in the lineup – good for 5.55 units against the moneyline. There’s a number I can believe in.
Dallas at Calgary (-190)
Wednesday, Mar 18, 9:00 p.m. (ET) TSN
The playoff race in the Western Conference is getting serious now that teams are hitting the 70-game mark. The 40-23-6 Calgary Flames are holding down the top spot in the Northwest Division with 86 points, three ahead of the surging Canucks for that automatic No. 3 seed – no way either of them is catching San Jose or Detroit. Life is far less certain for the 33-29-8 Dallas Stars, who find themselves one point behind Nashville for that last playoff berth.
Inconsistent goaltending tells the story for both clubs. The Flames (34-35 ATS, plus-0.51 units) started slowly this year as Miikka Kiprusoff posted a .895 save percentage through October and November. Then Kipper got his sea legs back and led the Flames to a 23-7-4 record over the next three months with a .917 SV%. Alas, Kiprusoff is struggling through March with a .856 SV% through seven games. He was pulled early in the third period last week after giving up all three goals in a 3-2 loss to Brodeur and the Devils as a 1130 road dog. That clearly didn’t do much for Kiprusoff’s psyche, based on the 11 goals he allowed in his next two starts combined.
Speaking of fragile psyches, Marty Turco is having his worst season since joining the league in 2000. Like Kiprusoff, Turco’s rollercoaster ride saw him flop miserably early, rebound considerably after the holidays, then careen in March. The native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (the birthplace of Tony Esposito) has a save percentage of .898 on the season and is 4-6-1 in his last 11 starts.
Calgary is in a much better position to weather the storm. The Flames are tied with Boston for second overall in scoring with 3.28 goals per game, and they added to their scoring punch at the trade deadline by picking up center Olli Jokinen from the Coyotes. Calgary gave up a lot to get him, but the returns so far are promising: eight goals and two assists in six games, including a hat trick Saturday against the Maple Leafs.
The Stars (29-41 SU, minus-19.77 units), meanwhile, are ranked No. 15 in scoring at 2.81 goals per game and No. 25 on the power play at 15.8 percent. Their only pickup at the trade deadline was getting forward Steve Begin from the Montreal Canadiens to add some depth. Begin has one goal in nine games for Dallas.
This is a tough spot for Dallas as a big road dog with a total of 5½ goals. And yet the Stars are 2-0 versus Calgary this year, winning both home and away with a final score of 3-1. Turco outdueled Kiprusoff on both occasions. Viewers in Canada can watch the rubber match on TSN.
Stopping 30 of 32 shots, New Jersey's Martin Brodeur helped the Devils to a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks Tuesday night, setting a new record for goaltenders with his 552nd career win. Assuming the 36-year-old Montreal native can stay healthy, 700 is not out of reach. But does that make him the all-time greatest, or is his profit margin since returning from injury the only stat that really matters?
Is Martin Brodeur the best goaltender of all-time?
That’s the debate among the hockey cognoscenti after Brodeur recorded win No. 552 of his stellar 14-plus seasons with the New Jersey Devils, who downed Chicago 3-2 on Tuesday as -142 home faves. Patrick Roy held the old record, but Roy retired before the NHL brought in the shootout to resolve tie games in the regular season. And both goalies had the benefit of a five-minute overtime, unlike such Hall-of-Famers as Terry Sawchuk, Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante, who also played 70-game seasons.
So the win record’s been watered down a bit over the years. Here are some other Brodeur milestones that deserve attention:
- 100 shutouts
- 10 All-Star Games
- Four Vezina Trophies
- Three Stanley Cups
- Two goals scored (one regular season, one playoffs)
- One Olympic gold medal
Personally, my focus has been on the betting odds for so long that I don’t like to engage in these “Greatest of All Time” arguments. Also, my answer always used to be George Hainsworth, after which people would look at me like I had typhoid.
But Brodeur probably has a few seasons left in the tank to put some statistical distance between himself and the rest of the pack. And at the rate he’s going, the 700-win plateau is within reach. The Devils are 8-1 with Brodeur back in the lineup – good for 5.55 units against the moneyline. There’s a number I can believe in.
Dallas at Calgary (-190)
Wednesday, Mar 18, 9:00 p.m. (ET) TSN
The playoff race in the Western Conference is getting serious now that teams are hitting the 70-game mark. The 40-23-6 Calgary Flames are holding down the top spot in the Northwest Division with 86 points, three ahead of the surging Canucks for that automatic No. 3 seed – no way either of them is catching San Jose or Detroit. Life is far less certain for the 33-29-8 Dallas Stars, who find themselves one point behind Nashville for that last playoff berth.
Inconsistent goaltending tells the story for both clubs. The Flames (34-35 ATS, plus-0.51 units) started slowly this year as Miikka Kiprusoff posted a .895 save percentage through October and November. Then Kipper got his sea legs back and led the Flames to a 23-7-4 record over the next three months with a .917 SV%. Alas, Kiprusoff is struggling through March with a .856 SV% through seven games. He was pulled early in the third period last week after giving up all three goals in a 3-2 loss to Brodeur and the Devils as a 1130 road dog. That clearly didn’t do much for Kiprusoff’s psyche, based on the 11 goals he allowed in his next two starts combined.
Speaking of fragile psyches, Marty Turco is having his worst season since joining the league in 2000. Like Kiprusoff, Turco’s rollercoaster ride saw him flop miserably early, rebound considerably after the holidays, then careen in March. The native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (the birthplace of Tony Esposito) has a save percentage of .898 on the season and is 4-6-1 in his last 11 starts.
Calgary is in a much better position to weather the storm. The Flames are tied with Boston for second overall in scoring with 3.28 goals per game, and they added to their scoring punch at the trade deadline by picking up center Olli Jokinen from the Coyotes. Calgary gave up a lot to get him, but the returns so far are promising: eight goals and two assists in six games, including a hat trick Saturday against the Maple Leafs.
The Stars (29-41 SU, minus-19.77 units), meanwhile, are ranked No. 15 in scoring at 2.81 goals per game and No. 25 on the power play at 15.8 percent. Their only pickup at the trade deadline was getting forward Steve Begin from the Montreal Canadiens to add some depth. Begin has one goal in nine games for Dallas.
This is a tough spot for Dallas as a big road dog with a total of 5½ goals. And yet the Stars are 2-0 versus Calgary this year, winning both home and away with a final score of 3-1. Turco outdueled Kiprusoff on both occasions. Viewers in Canada can watch the rubber match on TSN.