GleamBlog

Martin Brodeur will not let hockey bring him down. The New Jersey Devils' plucky goaltender refuses to dwell on a bad game, still flashing a smile in the dressing room, unable to conceal his naturally gregarious nature.

Brodeur may not be satisfied with his play during his club's march through the Eastern Conference finals, but he does not wallow; he simply atones. The six-time all-star allowed a few shaky goals in Game 2 of this best-of-seven series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, then followed that with back-to-back shutouts as New Jersey breezed to a 3-1 series lead, outscoring the Penguins 8-0 over the last two games.

"When you don't win, for sure you're going to get criticism," Brodeur said. "That's the way it is. It was good to come back and play well."

Brodeur, at 29 arguably the greatest stick-handling goalie in NHL history, has not allowed a goal in 134 minutes 41 seconds. Though not heavily tested in either game, again he has proven himself one of the best big-game goalies to ever play. While his athletic skills are world-class, Brodeur's unflappable mental outlook might be his greatest trait.

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"He doesn't bring the game home with him," said Melanie Brodeur, Martin's equally bubbly wife. "He'll be mad five minutes after a game on the way home and then he'll call his dad and it's okay, it's over with, he forgets it.

"I'll keep bringing it up and asking him about it and he's like, 'Okay, it's over with, forget it.' I read the papers; he doesn't. I'll ask him, 'What's your [goals against] average.' And he says, 'I don't know.' And then I'll run to get the papers and he says, 'I don't want to know. Don't tell me.' But the shutouts he knows. He knows how many shutouts he has."

Shutouts have come to define Brodeur's career -- and cloud his legend. He has four in this postseason, tied for the all-time high in one postseason (Brodeur's 12 playoff shutouts are seventh-best in NHL history), leading the Stanley Cup champions within one victory of a return to the finals. However, Brodeur was not voted one of the game's three stars in either of his last two shutouts, facing few quality shots after the first period while his dominant teammates controlled every aspect of the game.

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The Devils, going for their third Cup in seven years, have been such a stifling defensive club throughout Brodeur's career that he does not get all the accolades he may deserve. Some wonder if he would post the same gaudy statistics if he played on a more porous club. Brodeur may be what Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden dubbed a great good-team goaltender, the kind of keeper with enough mental strength to remain focused for long stretches when the puck is entrenched in the other end of the ice and still rise to make a flurry of huge saves when called on. Dryden dealt with the same stigma throughout his career, spent entirely with the Montreal Canadiens during their dynasty in the 1970s.

"It's a double-edged sword," Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko said. "In the early days he got a lot of the credit and sometimes our defense and forwards would say, 'Man, we're pretty good defensively and he doesn't have to face a lot of chances.'

"And now the pendulum has swung to the other side and some people don't give him enough credit. He's a prime-time player and we do play good defensively, but I think that makes it more difficult because you're not going to face a lot of shots but you have to make the big save at those times. He's so consistent."

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It is the perfect marriage of goaltender and team. Brodeur knows his club will elevate its play after a suspect effort; the team feels the same about Brodeur, voting him their most valuable player in each of the last six seasons. The Devils have invested an extreme faith in Brodeur since his rookie season (1993-94), when he won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and played with the poise of a player twice his age. Brodeur won his first Cup when he was 23, an age when most goalies still struggle with the intense pressure of the playoffs.

"Our team plays so well in front of him because they are so confident in him," said Devils assistant coach Slava Fetisov, who played for the Red Wings when they were swept by Brodeur in the 1995 finals. "He's a big part of our success -- he's good because he plays for our team and our team is good because he plays for us."

Brodeur was raised on hockey in Montreal, idolizing the Canadiens (his father was the team photographer) and French Canadian goaltender Patrick Roy; Roy has led Colorado to within one win of the finals and these rivals will likely duel in the Stanley Cup finals. Roy has won more regular season and playoff games than anyone and leads the NHL in career playoff shutouts (17); Brodeur is the only active player with a chance of shattering those records.

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"The difference between the good ones and the great ones is the ability to bounce back," Daneyko said. "Some guys get in a slump and it can last three or four games and all of a sudden you're out of the playoffs.

"Marty may have a bad period or bad night, but he always bounces back and is as solid as ever the next night. He's a mature guy and probably one of the most mentally strong guys on this team. There's nobody better at bouncing back and not dwelling on it."Martin Brodeur, New Jersey's most valuable player each of past six seasons, has team on verge of finals, third Stanley Cup in seven years.

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