Martin Brodeur is not done yet, but already he makes a case for being known as the best goaltender of all-time.
Let’s face it, a “greatest ever” moniker is really just for entertainment purposes. Was Wayne Gretzky greater than Bobby Orr? You can spend hours and hours debating that one, especially with those of us who saw Bobby Orr in his prime. Questions like that are unanswerable – they were different players doing different things in different eras.
It’s really tough to say, and the discussion of where Brodeur fits on the list of all-time great goalies should be put off until he’s done. But with the all-time shutout record now on the verge of being his, there’s isn’t any doubt that a discussion of the all-time best to ever play goal can certainly start with Brodeur.
He already has the NHL record for wins (576 heading into Saturday’s action) and will only add to that in the next year or so. His 103 shutouts ties him with Sawchuk before Saturday’s play, he will surpass Patrick Roy in total games played later this week, his GAA of 2.21 and save percentage of .914 trails just Dominik Hasek on the all-time list, and he’s won an Olympic Gold medal and three Stanley Cups.
Yes, he played in front of a tremendous defensive team, there is no doubt about that. And even the biggest Brodeur fans in the world have to admit that Hasek was more spectacular playing in front of teams that weren’t nearly as good defensively, and that Roy won two Stanley Cups with teams in Montreal that he carried, as well as two more in Colorado with powerhouse teams.
And how can you compare goalies like Sawchuk, Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante with any of today’s goalies, especially with the equipment they wore? And isn’t saying that one goalie is the best of all-time really a matter of personal preference, as the Gretzky vs. Orr argument is?
So I won’t say Martin Brodeur is the best goalie ever definitively because I don’t think you can make that statement for the reasons listed above. But I will say this – there are precious few goalies that I’d put in his class in any era.
The Sawchuk shutout record was believed to be unbreakable. Broduer’s penchant for winning is amazing (he has another 98 playoff wins too). His longevity certainly counts for something as well, and his tremendous career isn’t even over yet. He leads the league in wins this season and is seventh in both GAA and shutouts…still going strong at age 37.
When all is said and done, we’ll see the final numbers from Brodeur and stack them up. But when I was at the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Devils fans were chanting “Marty’s better!!!” when J.S. Giguere was presented with the playoff MVP and I agreed with them then.
In my mind Marty is better…than any other goalie in hockey history. And although that statement is for entertainment purposes only, and there have been a lot of great goalies – his numbers and longevity are mind boggling.
Everybody loves junior hockey when the world junior hockey championships get going, in the same way that everybody loves the CFL when the Grey Cup is on. Even CFL haters watch the Grey Cup.
I get that…and I have no doubt that the bandwagon will be filled again this year and will be reflected when TSN announces the television ratings for the 2009 edition of the tournament. Ditto for the Grey Cup – this year’s fantastic game was another ratings bonanza in this country.
It still bugs me though, that hockey fans in the GTA who all watch the tournament at Christmas time pay scant attention to the OHL during the regular season.
I work on the Rogers TV coverage of the Windsor Spitfires vs. Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors game on Friday night and it was one of the best hockey games I’ve seen all season at any level. The Spitfires prevailed 3-2 in a shootout, but it was a terrific game for both teams.
Lots of hard hitting, lots of scoring chances, great goaltending, played at a tremendous pace for a regular season game – it had everything, including great goaltending and even a couple of good fights if that’s your thing.
Yet nobody wants to talk about games like that in Toronto – it’s all Leafs, all the time, with no room for anything else. You could have had a ticket for that Friday night game for $12 and had the best seat in the house…and yet it was just an after thought in the GTA.
The worst Leaf game is better than the best junior game to Toronto hockey fans it seems. So be it – while the rest of the country eats up every moment of junior hockey, the GTA doesn’t.
Until, of course, the world junior hockey championships, where Leaf fans will watch (along with the rest of the country) and tell everyone how great Taylor Hall and Nazem Kadri are.
I guess it’s like on Grey Cup Sunday, when even NFL zombies tune in for the game. It’s just a fact of life that many sports fans in the GTA won’t pay attention to the Argos or the Majors or battalion, but will pay attention to the Grey Cup or WJHC.
I get it. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, but I get it.
All I can say to those fans is – you missed one hell of a hockey game on Friday night – and I’m not talking about the Leafs.