Brodeur, Martin

▪ Canadian ice hockey player

born May 6, 1972, Montreal, Quebec, Can.

      French Canadian ice hockey goaltender known for his National Hockey League (NHL) shutout and goals-against average (GAA) records.

      Born in Montreal, Brodeur grew up close to the game of ice hockey. His father, Denis Brodeur, was a member of Canada's 1956 bronze-medal Olympic team and a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. The younger Brodeur was a first-round choice of the 1990 NHL entry draft and signed with the New Jersey Devils. His breakout season occurred in 1993–94, when he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie, having recorded a 2.40 GAA for the season and a 1.95 GAA during the 17 playoff games.

      In 1994–95 he helped his team win the Stanley Cup championship. By the late 1990s he had become the second goaltender in NHL history to score a goal in a playoff game and had played in at least 70 of New Jersey's 84 regular season games for six years in a row, breaking NHL records. By 2000 the Devils had won another Stanley Cup, and another followed in 2003. Brodeur was a member of Team Canada in the Olympic Games of 1998, 2002, and 2006. In the 2002 Games he played a significant role in the team's gold-medal win. Two years after winning Olympic gold, Brodeur helped Team Canada win the World Cup championships.

      Throughout his career Brodeur has earned numerous honours and broken many records. He won the Vezina and William M. Jennings trophies in 2003 and 2004, respectively. By 2006 Brodeur had become the only goaltender in NHL history with five 40-win seasons, as well as the only goalie with 10 consecutive 30-win seasons. By that time he had accumulated more than 80 regular-season shutouts, ranking sixth highest in NHL history.

* * *