Martin Brodeur’s Greatness as a Goaltender Went Well Beyond Stopping Pucks
Key Takeaways
- Martin Brodeur holds NHL records for goalie wins (691), games played (1,266), shutouts (125), and assists (45), making him the most accomplished goaltender in league history.
- Brodeur was directly inspired by Ron Hextall after his father, Denis — team photographer for the Montreal Canadiens — described Hextall as 'like a third defenseman' after watching him play.
- Brodeur's puck-handling was so effective the NHL introduced the trapezoid rule to restrict where goalies could play the puck behind the net.
- The key to improving goalie puck-handling, according to Brodeur, is straightforward: shoot pucks repeatedly until it becomes a natural part of your game.
- Ron Hextall became the first goalie to intentionally shoot a puck into the opposing net on this date in history, a milestone that influenced a generation of puck-handling goalies.
The long-time New Jersey Devils (and briefly St. Louis Blues) goalie was an obvious first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame selection in 2018 for a lot of reasons, many of which can be found atop all-time lists in the NHL record books. But for all his records in games played (1,266), wins (691) and shutouts (125), Stanley Cups (three), Vezina (four) and Williams Jennings (five) trophies, it can be easy to overlook his impact playing the puck.
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